


Staying with you until the end of the line

by Ian_MD



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 32,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26976163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ian_MD/pseuds/Ian_MD
Summary: Ren Amamiya, the infamous transfer student, and Makoto Nijima, the infamous student council president, have been slowly falling in love with time, unknowingly being bolder and closer each time they meet. On a certain day, they decide to help a mutual friend by the name of Eiko Takao, thinking it would be another regular day of helping another person... but fate had something in store for them...Written as part of the Shumako Mini-Bang, I want to give a HUGE shoutout to Kenny (@kenny_pasta on Twitter), the artist who drew two important moments of the story, and who gave some of the founding ideas for the story!Thank you everyone for the chance to be a part of this, and I hope you all enjoy this multi-chapter romance! Here we go!
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37
Collections: ShuMako Mini Bang





	1. The start of something special

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for giving this story a chance!  
> So, this has been on the works for quite a few months, with many revisions and reconsideration of scenes and ideas and whatnot until we finally settled on the story here. I really hope you all enjoy this, and I promise I'll make more fics from now on! Pinky-promise!

_ It’s come to my attention recently that I really enjoy spending time with the team. Everyone is so marvelous despite their flaws, and their friendship means so much to me. They all taught me what it means to be alive and to have a clear, greater purpose and how to chase it every day. Especially Ren-kun. _

_ Through his sheer determination to help so many more people than he should, he shows me how much a single person makes a difference. He alone has been able to make quite some drastic changes in the lives of the people he meets… especially in mine. And… I’ve begun to fall for him because of that and of who he is. He’s… the first boy in a long, long time I completely trust and am comfortable around. _

_ That being said… he’s made me start to question certain parts of my life and myself. I keep wondering about my dream of being a police officer… and I wonder if that dream is simply naivety or misguided. Dirty cops were the ones who gave Ren-kun his criminal record… the ones who took his life and derailed it completely because they took a bribe. They forced him to have a label that will make his future much, much harder to actually guide… without a second thought, it seems. Is that really an organization I want to be a part of? An organization that can destroy a person’s life because they’re easily exploited? That goes against all of my moral beliefs...  _

_ And, on that note… my attempts to clear Ren-kun’s identity have not been the most successful out there… most of the student body and anyone who hears he has a criminal record judge that enough and will never bat an eye on the wonderful person he is. Which is something that deeply saddens me. I just want him to have a fair shot at having a future and being happy. _

October 24th, 2016 - Shujin Academy - Class 3-?

She sighed, closing her diary and looking around her classroom. Nothing was different… the usual people in their usual places, talking about their lives. No big responsibilities besides studying, no threat against their lives, no changing society… in a way, she envied them. Being able to not worry about such large stakes almost every day… it must be nice.

_ “” _ **_Then create some time to unwind._ ** _ ”” _ The gentle voice of Johanna rang through her head, surprising her.  _ “” _ **_Your schedule’s free today. Give yourself a day to recharge your batteries._ ** _ ”” _ The girl smiled at her other self, agreeing. She stood up to leave… when a conversation caught her interest.

“-Amamiya’s being pretty uptight recently, huh?” One of the students spoke to her friend, who nodded,

“Yeah. He still does some shady shit, but… I’ll be damned, he actually acts like a student most of the time. Almost seems like his criminal record’s up and gone.” The boy replied surprisedly, to which Makoto shook her head.

_ ‘They don’t know half of what he goes through…’ _ The thought occupied her head violently before she sighed worriedly.  _ ‘Sorry, Johanna, but I’m gonna go check up on him first.’ _

\------

_ Hello, diary. I wanted to confide in you with something I’ve been thinking about recently about… myself and life. Being able to be with the whole team is a blessing. Everyone is wonderful in their own way, and even now with Haru, our most recent member, we’re still going strong and happy. _

_ But I keep wondering… is this going to last? I certainly pray that it does, but… someday, whether we like it or not, we’ll have to stop being the Phantom Thieves and I’ll have to go back home. Something or someone, be it on the outside or on the inside, will make us disband. It’s just a matter of time. When that happens… will we stay friends? Will we be able to look past all of the PTs talk and just be regular people, even though we have been through extraordinary situations? And… would my criminal record affect them in some way? Having an alleged criminal as a friend… it would probably hinder their futures in a way I can’t predict… and that scares me. _

_ I wonder how much impact I would’ve had in their lives had we not met the way we did. If I was just a regular school boy with no cognitive powers, no record… nothing extraordinary… would we have even met to begin with? Or would they just see me as the delinquent most of the school still sees me as? _

_ Asking these questions in specific won’t really help much, since it’s based on a “what if?”, an alternate reality, but… what I wrote just before is something I think about… almost every day. I don’t believe we’ll find the man who did this to me… he’s probably in really high places I won’t be able to access, so I’ll be burdened with this record for the rest of my life. It makes me think that… in a way… I shouldn’t make really deep connections with anyone… I’m gonna leave them anyway after my probation is done… even if a part of me doesn’t want to. _

_ And this is what’s bothering me: I’m already really close to my friends, and I know a whole ton about them and their lives… but I haven’t really been doing the same back to them. In a way, I feel kinda guilty for that… I wanna tell them more about me, but something keeps holding me back, and I don’t know what it is.  _

Class 2-D

“Ren-kun?” A sweet voice interrupted the teenager, who looked up to beautiful ruby eyes that he fell in love with. The sight was enough to make him smile, his previous worry suddenly gone as he focused on the most beautiful person he’d met in these last 5 months. It was enough for him to forget that the student council president coming to a classroom to talk to the transfer student was going to get a lot of stares from the other students, even if they already knew they were friends.

“Oh, sorry, Makoto… I was just sorting out my thoughts.” He said apologetically with tired eyes as she shook her head. Right before he started to write these specific thoughts, he was planning who to spend the time with today, tomorrow and the day after, and if he should study, increase his guts, his proficiency-

“It’s okay. We all need some time to think.” She spoke with a small smile, breaking his chain of thoughts.  _ ‘How is she so cute?’ _ “I was just wondering… have you been getting a proper amount of rest?” She gracefully sat on Ann’s chair, who had left earlier that day to finish some late homework. He shook his head tiredly, wondering how she managed to read his mind.

“I’m not really sure. If you consider…” He picked up his phone and checked his messages. “ _...three, four… _ helping out 2 confidants per day for the last 4 days rest…” Her eyes widened, as she noticed that while he had a proud smile, it also showed quite a lot of fatigue. Her hand involuntarily reached closer to him, but she stopped herself before anyone could notice.  _ ‘W-why did…?’ _

“While that’s admirable, Ren-kun, you also need to rest and blow off some steam.” He smiled at her words, nodding slowly. She noticed how pleasant this smile was.

“Yeah… but I also gotta help them. I help them, they help me, I can be more useful.” He said in a weird mix of a monotone and pride, almost as if this was a rehearsed reply. It made Makoto shake her head.

“How can you be useful if you’re always tired in some way?” She asked sweetly, making him stop to think. After he didn’t reply for a few seconds, she smiled at him. “Take today off, Ren-kun. Just… go have some fun somewhere, eat out, do something different. You deserve it.” Her soothing voice filled him with peace, a kind he hadn’t allowed himself to feel for a while.

“I-I’ll try…” Neither of them expected him to stutter, but it made her giggle, making him smile. “I’m just… not sure what I  _ could _ do or where I could go to blow off some steam.” He focused on her after his sentence, as she closed her eyes. Truth be told… he had some ideas… but he wanted to hear what she had to say.

“Well, where do you usually relax?” Her question made him think of Leblanc, the bath house, Inokashira Park… but they were the usual places. He wanted to go somewhere he didn’t go in a while...

“There’s a ramen shop in Ogikubo that serves some really good ramen. I might go there.” She smiled proudly at his answer, nodding. Little did she know that that smile made his heart start to beat faster.

“Then I hope you enjoy the ramen, Ren-kun. Go and have some fun.” She spoke in a motherly tone as she stood up, about to leave. He was about to wish her a good afternoon… but he wanted her to join him so badly...

_ “” _ **_Are you really going to let her just leave after that?_ ** _ ”” _ The voice of Arsène boomed into Ren’s mind, shocking him.  _ “” _ **_Please don’t ignore your feelings. Give yourself a chance to make yourself happy._ ** _ ”” _

With that sentence in his mind, his body moved by itself and his mouth spoke before he could think. “Don’t you want to join me?” He asked smoothly, surprising himself, Makoto and everyone in his class who heard it. A small ‘ _ oh~!’ _ echoed across the room, followed by complete silence as she looked at him with wide eyes. Soon after, Makoto shyly nodded with an embarrassed smile, not expecting his invitation.

“Of course… a-as long as I’m not disturbing you.” She replied embarrassedly, giving him a small confidence boost, despite his automatic reply and stares of the class.

“No, no… it’d be pleasant to have you there.” He reassured her with a nod, trying his best to ignore the smirks some of the students gave him.

“I’ll just grab my things, then…” She said with a small smile, heading out of the classroom, leaving a ton of boys and girls to continue to stare at him with their smirks and surprised looks. Ren sighed, hiding his will to curl into a ball and die by going back to writing as he waited for Makoto.

_ And now, I’ve literally asked her out on a date… in front of the whole class. Thanks, Arsène. _

_ Argh, I’m not sure what to think anymore… I’m just gonna go with her and see what happens. Though… it is Makoto we’re talking about… most likely… it’s gonna be a good afternoon. And, if I’m lucky… I can make her happy for a while. God knows she deserves to be happy. _

\------

Café Leblanc - Ren’s room

A black cat slept peacefully on a wooden chair in an attic in Japan. He smiled as he dreamt of sushi and the thought of finding a woman he could make happy. His ears perked up as he heard footsteps nearing him as he slowly opened his eyes. He saw the boy he came to know as a trusted friend put his things away as he sighed contently, looking at his dusty yet comfy room. Nothing was out of the ordinary; his decorations were still there, his plant, Debra, his makeshift bed and the electronics he collected. He smiled at everything in a way that was uncommon, yet extremely happy. Morgana smirked at his frizzy-haired leader as he stretched. “So, how was the date with Makoto?” He asked slyly, trying to wiggle his eyebrows like a human would, only to fail. His ‘owner’ smirked at him.

“It went really well. We went to Ogikubo to get some ramen.” He said happily as he sat on his bed, Morgana jumping to his lap. The boy instinctively petted his friend, who purred.

“You must have stayed in line for quite a while, though.” The cat commented worriedly, to which the boy nodded.

“We did. But we talked a whole bunch about our lives and tastes. Makoto’s really lively around me… and I’m really glad she is.” He replied with a lovestruck smile. His friend smiled.

“I’m really glad that you make each other happy, Ren. Though it is funny to think how this all started.” He said nostalgically, to which his friend nodded, his expression a mix of sadness, anger, and even happiness and nostalgia.

“It really was. Makoto herself has been dealing with the fact that she blackmailed us even now, even though I tell her not to worry about it.” The glasses boy said quietly, remembering how the girl beat herself up over her actions.

“I knew you were going to forgive her.” Morgana said cockily. “You’re always seeing the best in people. Even when it comes to that Akechi, you’re seeing the best he has to offer… and everyone in the team dislikes him!” He commented in awe, to which Ren smiled.

“I’m not gonna let people’s pasts or mistakes define them. If they’re trying their best, then let’s give them a second chance, you know?” He said calmly as his phone vibrated. He took it and saw that Makoto was calling him.

“Speak of the beautiful devil.” He said with a smile as he picked up the call. “Hello, this is Amamiya Incorporated speaking, home of great services such as listening to friends, and making coffee.” He joked warmly, which made the girl giggle.

_ “Hello, Amamiya Incorporated. This is Makoto Niijima speaking. I’d like to request a service from one of your employers, Ren Amamiya.” _ He heard her say with glee, to which his smile grew.

“Ah, you’re in luck, then. I happen to be available to talk; my confidants require no help at the moment. What is it that you desire?” He asked in the same tone, looking at his feline friend roll his eyes with a small smirk.

_ “Well… it’s about Eiko.” _ She said in a more serious tone.  _ “I was wondering… and I’m sorry for my request right after what I said, but… could we go to the red-light district and gather some intel on Tsukasa? Tomorrow’s the only day I’m free...” _ She asked regretfully, to which Ren nodded.

“Don’t apologize. Today was enough to get some good rest. Enough for us to help Eiko come to her senses! Let’s also want the team that he may be a possible target and go prepared for anything, for life is unpredictable and can screw you over if you’re not prepared!” He declared dramatically, making a grandiose gesture he wished she could see.

_ “Gosh, you’re so dramatic… but thank you so much, Ren-kun. For everything you do.” _ He could hear her smile through the call, which made him smile as well.

“It’s always a pleasure to have you as company.” He said honestly, which made Morgana let out a teasing ‘ohhh!’ to him, making him blush. It took the girl some time to reply, which made him happy, as he loved making her lose her line of thought through flirting that she didn’t really notice, surprisingly enough. This, along with her reactions to his teasing and jokes made her a joy to be around for the boy.

_ “T-that’s… thank you. I-I... feel the same.” _ She said bashfully, which made his blush deepen. He noticed that he blushed quite a lot whenever she complimented him. Well, who was he kidding? He’d been completely infatuated with her ever since she apologized to him and joined the team.  _ “O-oh! Sis is calling me… I have to go.” _

“Well, good night, Makoto. Hope you sleep well.” He said warmly, with a sudden want to give her a kiss.  _ ‘Wha-?’ _

_ “Good night, Ren-kun. I’ll see you tomorrow… _ ” She ended her sentence with a segway into something else, but she stayed quiet.  _ “...let’s do our best tomorrow.” _ She said embarrassedly before ending the call.

\------

“Oh my goodness, what was I trying to say?!” She asked herself embarrassedly as she locked her phone and plopped into bed. “Great job… wanting to comment ‘handsome’ and needing to cover it up…” She said as she stared at the ceiling, before chuckling. “And talking to yourself. Is it weird, Buchi-kun?” She asked worriedly as she grabbed her plushie, smiling bashfully at it. She hugged it tightly, as her mind played out a fantasy of her hugging Ren. Her blush strengthened due to the fantasy as she just enjoyed it, deciding not to bash herself over how she felt. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and looked at her plushie. “God, I must look like a kid happy to get a new toy, huh?” She asked Buchimaru quietly, to which she received no response, as was expected. “But… I can’t help but be happy around him. He’s so dedicated to helping others and making them happy… I want to do the same for him.” She said calmly, putting a hand on her chin as the other held her plushie. “But… how? How can I make him happy as well?” She wondered thoughtfully as she looked at her plushie once more, a memory of some time ago resurfacing. A memory that brought her much joy.

\------

_ June 25th, 2016 - Shujin Academy - School Courtyard _

_ “Where do people usually go for fun?” Such a simple question that she thought was completely normal to ask nearly made Ren’s face turn into The Scream. He agreed to tell her, offering to take her to the arcade to broaden her horizons, while also teasing her along the way. After they arrived, she looked around awestruck. She had no idea an arcade could be so interesting: the colors, the machines, the mood, the people! “Over there…” She pointed at a big game. “You play by aiming the gun at the screen, right? That actually seems somewhat realistic.” She noticed as she stared intently into the screen, almost hypnotized by the gang members shooting in her direction. She kept looking at two friends playing the game, wondering how the machine and the game worked, feeling an urge to go and play it... _

_ “That one really caught your eye, huh?” He asked her teasingly, which made her gasp lightly, turning around and looking to the side. _

_ “I-if it’s okay with you… do you think you could teach me?” She asked bashfully, which made him smile.  _

_ “It’s time to improve your already good shooting skills, Makoto. You ready?” He hyped her up with a fist pump, to which she nodded vehemently. _

_ “Absolutely!” She confirmed with her own fist pump, as they both neared the machine and paid for their chance to play. As they played, the girl surprised herself on how into the game she was. She felt immersed, like she and her partner were actually going against a gang and desperately trying to survive the violent shootout. Needless to say, her loud play garnered the attention of most everyone in the arcade, who even started cheering them on in the harder missions. _

_ When they were done, the other players congratulated them on nearing the final boss, filling the relatively new players with warmth, as they smiled at one another. They walked to the steps to take some air, the girl noticing that she was sweating due to how into the game she was. Closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, she slowly regained her composure. She thought she’d be embarrassed by the way she acted in there… but she actually felt proud of herself. Light, free and… happy. And after everything they had just done, she casually opened her eyes and, with a smile, said: “Oh, so this is how it is.”. Her comment made Ren chuckle, innocently catching her attention. _

_ “You were really into it! If you kept that up a little more, people would’ve thought you were a professional gamer posing as a casual player.” He half-joked, half-admitted, which made her smile. _

_ “Thank you. I know it’s just a game, but… I wonder if I could apply any of the techniques I learned here during battle.” She wondered aloud, which made the Trickster nod. _

_ “That could very well work! You just have to be a bit creative.” He spoke excitedly, smiling as he crossed his arms. Makoto smiled back at him and put her hand under her chin. _

_ “Perhaps going somewhere I don’t normally frequent is what helped me come up with that idea.” She thought aloud, wondering about her own decisions with a smile... When she opened her eyes, though, she saw that he was looking to the side slightly. “You know, it may be only a little bit… but I think I’m starting to understand how people pass time. Interesting… I would’ve never even thought of coming here before.” She continued thoughtfully, to which Ren nodded. _

_ “That was a new side of you. A new experience to move you forward!” He spoke dramatically and proudly, reminding her of Joker. While she liked that bold and cocky persona he created, she also wanted to spend more time with Ren, the leader who cared for his team, friends, and even strangers. _

_ “I…” She started but didn’t know how to continue. She shook her head and looked at the boy. “Hey, do you think you could help me out later? I might be able to give the team more ideas if I can gain increased knowledge outside of my studies.” She pondered with a hand on her chin, which made Ren nod and offered her a thumbs up. _

_ “I look forward to it. Let me know whenever you want to have your horizons expanded. I’ll take you somewhere you’ve never even dreamed of! ...probably.” He proposed excitedly, which made her smile and fist pump. _

_ “Your energy is… unusual, but captivating, Ren-kun. It’s infectious!” She said happily, to which he scratched his neck, a small action that she found… quite cute. “I need to live up to your expectations now that I’ve taken up your time. Perhaps it won’t be immediately… but I’m sure I can be of use.” She noticed her posture was much more confident and bold at that moment, feeling more aware of what she could offer, a fact that made her smile. “By the way, you went to the red-light district when you were chasing Kaneshiro, right?” She asked suddenly, to which he nodded with a curious glance. “I’d like to go there as well.” She said innocently, but he couldn’t help to crack a smirk at her request, which made her eyes widen at his implication. “No! N-not for my own purposes… you meanie.” His chuckle turned into a smile, before he focused on her more seriously. “To tell you the truth, I got a report recently that one of our students was spotted there… I’m skeptical, but… I’d like to confirm firsthand for myself.” Her tone clearly expressed her hopes that this info would somehow be incorrect, and he nodded at her. _

_ “Of course. I’ll help in any way I can.” He reassured, making her sigh. _

_ “Thank you. I certainly hope this is a rumor and nothing more, but… something tells me this deserves some investigating.” The red-eyed teen explained her reasoning with a hand under her chin, which made her teammate frown. _

_ “What makes you think that?” He asked her, to which she shook her head. _

_ “I… don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have.” She told him seriously, which made him stop to think for a moment, before shaking his head lightly. _

_ “Well, let’s give your feeling a shot. One thing before we go:” He interrupted her as she started walking, standing right in front of her. “You gotta learn how to sneak around better. I mean, a manga to the face?” He teased her honestly, making her blush. _

_ “T-that’s…!” She stammered, struggling to find the correct words to justify her choice. _

_ “...adorable?” He teased, which made her let out a small yelp. _

_ “N-no! I thought it would have been the best way to sneak around a crowd… d-don’t people love reading manga?” She asked innocently, which made Ren’s eyes widen. _

_ “Wait… you honestly thought people read manga as they walked?” He asked incredulously, which made her look down and nod weakly. “...Makoto, I respect you so much for being able to find out who we were before the police, but damn, you really need to broaden your horizons. No disrespect.” He told her honestly, to which she puffed her cheeks. _

_ “T-that’s why I wanted to ask for your help to start with!” The headband-wearing girl stammered nervously, before letting out a small sound of annoyance. “Are you gonna keep teasing me about it?” _

_ “Until you learn how to properly sneak around, yes.” He told her, earning him a small slap on the arm as he laughed. They headed out of the arcade and noticed that it had started to rain, so they took out their umbrellas and opened them, walking side-by-side towards the train station. Her phone vibrated, making her look at it. She sighed in disgust as she put it away. _

_ “I got another message from Kaneshiro.” She started quietly, making him look at her. “Says I only have two weeks left.” _

_ “I see…” Ren replied aloud, as she noticed his eyes unfocus… she guessed he was thinking on how they could advance on the Palace. “I’m gonna check our supplies and see if we’re missing something. If not, we can go back as soon as possible to leave this behind us and get him to stop harassing you. This is, what, the sixth time he’s texted you?” He offered gently and then asked with a tinge of anger, to which she nodded. _

_ “It is. You’re quite diligent at planning this. Do you ever rest or do you spend most of your time planning out your days?” She asked honestly, to which he chuckled. _

_ “Most of the time I’m making plans on who to talk to for the afternoon and what to buy and when. I only rest when hanging out with my friends like this.” He answered honestly as he fixed his glasses, smiling at her. She smiled at the fact that he called her a friend. _

_ “Well… I’m glad I was able to make you let off some steam. That game was perfect for it!” The brunette commented while making a finger gun and a smirk, pointing it at him. He pretended to back away in fear, though his smile right thereafter only made her smile more. _

_ “Agreed. I’m still in awe over your skills and eagerness while playing.” He said surprisingly, to which she nodded. _

_ “I’m as surprised as you are. I don’t think I would’ve thought of going to the arcade before… but I want to come back someday.” She said thoughtfully, bringing a hand to her chin. “It was thanks to you. You helped me to change. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who did; everyone on the team seems to have changed for the better because of you.” She proposed gratefully as they neared the crosswalk. She looked at his eyes with a smile. “So, where are you planning to take me next?” Makoto asked happily, which made Ren smile at her. _

_ “Wherever you’d like to go to let off some steam...” He replied honestly, before giving her a deviously innocent smile. “...Queen.” He said in a low tone with a bow, which made her giggle, reveling in the codename her leader and now friend had picked for her and returned the gesture as they neared the station, heading to one more spot before heading home. _

\------

The girl smiled at the memory, noticing how she’s looser around the boy. She started to wonder why. Well… she knew why. He made fun of her in a criticizing way, but he always did it jokingly, which made her realize her mistakes and learn from them. He was also good and fun company while being really caring, understanding, knowledgeable, brave, and bold. He made her feel like she didn’t need to wear her societal mask around him like she could bare her entire personality and story to him.

That’s when a thought occurred to her. He didn’t hide his personality from anyone… but he never told her his story before his criminal record. She wondered if it was the one thing he wasn’t comfortable sharing yet. If that was the case… she understood. She’d like to know who he was before this year, but if she herself took a few months to trust an extraordinary person with her own past… then she’d be fine with waiting to prove to him that she’s trustworthy.

_ “” _ **_I am glad you are being honest with yourself._ ** _ ”” _ She heard her Persona speak up from within her mind, making her close her eyes so she could face herself.  _ “” _ **_You are surrounded by a group of people most would kill to have. I myself could not trust anyone back then… so I am glad that you can._ ** _ ”” _ She commented calmly, to which Makoto nodded.

_ “I’m glad, too. But you can trust them, too. You’re me, after all. We both can trust them with our lives.” _ She thought happily, which made her other self chuckle.

_ “” _ **_Your life is not the only thing you’re trusting them… at least, when it comes to Ren~._ ** _ ”” _ The Persona told herself, which made the headband girl think for a moment, not completely sure of what her other self meant… but she blushed at her comment anyway.

\------

_ “It’s true. I have been in love with her for… quite a while now.  _ At least _ since the time we went to Sojiro and Futaba’s house to try and talk to her.”  _ Ren thought as he crossed his arms.  _ “It was around then that she asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend to help Eiko out. We also went to see ‘Like a Dragon’ around this time… those two experiences made me realize that I was in love with her.” _ He continued, smiling at the memories. He heard his other self chuckle.

_ “” _ **_Of course you would fall for the one woman in the group who is smart and strong enough to take on a wave of enemies while you were downed._ ** _ ”” _ He replied knowingly, which made the glasses boy smile.

_ “I’m still surprised at that day. She managed to make a strategy that knocked down most of the Anubis we were fighting with. God, they were annoying… but it was then I knew that she could also be a leader.” _ The Trickster thought proudly.

_ “” _ **_Which is why you tested a run through the desert city with her as the leader._ ** _ ”” _ The gentleman thief commented nostalgically, to which his other self nodded.  _ “” _ **_And you are deeply in love with her._ ** _ ”” _ The Persona stated matter-of-factly to the boy, who nodded.  _ “” _ **_Then tell her. You and her have a deep affection and trust for one another._ ** _ ”” _ He said calmly, to which the boy smiled melancholically.

_ “I want to; more than anything.” _ He replied sadly, only to hear his other side groan.

_ “” _ **_Then what is stopping you?_ ** _ ”” _ He asked angrily.

_ “The usual fears… ” _ The transfer student said regrettably, taking a deep breath. He opened his eyes, only to see Morgana was already asleep and he received no reply from his other-self. He sighed and turned off the lights, changed to his pajamas and lied down to sleep, only to remember his promise to his Makoto and send the texts warning his friends. After a little chat with them, however…

**Ren:** So it’s settled. Be on guard tomorrow in case we need to go to Mementos.

**Ryuji:** so, when you gonna fess up?

**Ren:** W-what?

**Ann:** You know what were talking about! When you gonna spill the beans?

**Ren:** You two are way too nosy, you know that?

**Ryuji:** wonder where we learned that from…

**Ann:** Come on! Nothings stopping you! Shed love a confession from you!

**Ren:** ...I’ll think about it… when the opportune moment arrives, I’ll tell her. 

**Ryuji:** its your dignity on the line, man! If you take too long, she might fall for someone else!

**Ren:** Don’t rush me, for that will only result in catastrophe!

**Ann:** Did you know she’s the only one that actually giggles at those remarks?

**Ren:** Good night, guys. I’ll… keep it in mind.

**Yusuke:** Hm? What have I missed?

**Futaba:** Glory!

\------

September 25th - Red-Light District

“Same thing happened with one of my friends… dammit!” The irritated host said angrily, closing his fists. After a rather quiet train ride to Shinjuku, with their equipment concealed in their bags, Ren and Makoto finally found what they were looking for after a few minutes of chatting around with people.

“We have proof now.” The brunette spoke with a small smile, before bowing to him. “Thank you so much for this. Can other hosts from around the area confirm these stories?” She asked calmly, to which he nodded.

“Yeah, my friends also know about the bastard. Seems he wants a growin’ network to do his dirty business. Some of my friends were also played by him… so if he’s tryin’ a network, he better have other contacts, ‘cause they ain’t helpin’ him. Heard he even played up his own boss, leavin’ him with the cops.” The man explained to the two, who were surprised at the man’s lack of forethought. Ren nodded.

“Despite his questionable decisions… I’m sorry that you and your friends suffered at his hands.” The boy spoke sadly, making the host nod sympathetically. “Just a quick question: do you know his full name?”

“I’ll never forget that bastard’s name… Tsukasa Yamashita. Why do you ask?” The host’s question was full of suspicion, so the frizzy-haired boy opened his phone and showed him the Phan-site.

“I’m going to make a request for the Phantom Thieves to change his heart. If you want to avenge your friends and get some comeuppance, I’d say this is a good way to do it.” He proposed seriously, seeing a notification of Makoto warning the others that Tsukasa would be a target, and they all agreed, bringing up other people, especially young women, that had already put his name on the site.

“I don’t really believe in that stuff, but hell, I can’t lose any more than I lost to him. I’ll do that. Thanks for the help, kiddos.” The host agreed, calling his friends and telling them of the plan. The Trickster turned to his friend, who smiled at him.

“Come on, it’s almost time for Eiko’s shift to end. Let’s wait for her in front of the shop.” She said through that smile, as both walked to the store, though a thought bothered Ren:  _ ‘A growing network? Even if he’s still starting… could he do some damage to Makoto’s life? I better watch it with this guy… even if he doesn’t seem that smart.’ _

Makoto noticed his sudden change in attitude, because she put her hand on his arm, lightly startling him. “What’s on your mind?” She asked supportively, as he shook his head, surprised at the fact that she touched him that way. It felt… nice.

“A growing network… even if he isn’t the smartest person, he probably has some power… could he try and make a move against us” He asked worriedly, making her freeze, too. Luckily, they were already in front of the store. She put her hand under her chin to think, a sight that always made the boy smile.  _ ‘She’s so cute… I already thought this yesterday, what the hell.’ _

“It’s a possibility… but I don’t want Eiko to fall victim to this. I’m going to take that chance.” She stood tall as she spoke, as Ren put his hand on her shoulder, taking his turn to surprise her.

“ _ We’re _ going to take that chance. I’ll be your company ‘till the end of the line.” He reassured her, making her blush slightly and nod.

“T-thank you… oh, there she is.” She spoke quietly, as they turned to face the girl.

\------

**Yusuke:** I certainly hope these two succeed. For the sake of their friend.

\------

“Heyo, I know these guys.” Tsukasa spoke with a small smile. “Wanna hop on over to my club with us? It’s gonna be a total blast!” He spoke excitedly… but his smile made Ren and Makoto look at him with careful eyes. His smiles, his mannerisms… they reminded them all too much of a certain Asmodeus back in April and Bael in June. The similarities didn’t really surprise Makoto, since this was a place for shady actions and individuals… but having Ren beside her gave here confidence.

\------

**Futaba:** Those two are careful and awesome! They’ll be fine, you’ll see! Mona agrees!

\------

“I’d never lie to you, princess.” He said warmly(?), which made the red-eyed girl scoff slightly, a sight the gray-eyed boy never thought he’d see. She quickly composed herself and spoke up.

“It’s always ‘princess’ with you. Why don’t you call her by her real name, Tsukasa? Or are there too many princesses in your life to remember?” She dared the host, who looked at her shocked and stayed in a telling silence. The two Phantom Thieves looked at him with angry eyes, as the man’s girlfriend looked at him worriedly.

\------

**Ryuji:** well, well be here if they need us!

**Ann:** Lets keep an eye out and our equipment ready! And I hope they have some time to talk about their feelings <3

\------

The black-haired girl and boy looked at the host with wide eyes, taking some moments to process what he had just said. Did he really… mix up Eiko and Makoto? Eiko stood motionless as she stared at the man she placed so much trust on not even remember her  _ name _ , while Ren looked at Makoto with knowing eyes, nodding at her as she grabbed her phone.

“I knew it. I’m the one who texted you  _ ‘I’ll b 5 min late 2day, bb’ _ . I even added tons of emojis at the end to make sure it seemed like Eiko.” She revealed with determination, glaring at the man. “Admit it. Every girl you get money from is your princess, right? You can’t even remember names anymore.” She finished fiercely, which made the man freeze and start to freak out as he looked at her with confused eyes. She turned to her pigtail-wearing friend. “Don’t you see, Eiko? This is who your ‘boyfriend’ really is!” She said seriously, while Ren kept an eye on the whole situation, ready to intervene if necessary. The brown-eyed girl shook her head and turned to her friend violently.

“But… you tricked him! And what would you know about love, with such a non-caring boyfriend, huh?!” She said angrily as she pointed at Makoto and Ren, both of whom had wide eyes. The boy looked down as the girl kept going. “I’m sick of you running your mouth like that about Tsukasa-kun! He’s all I have! So shut up and don’t stick your nose in my business, you bitch!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, as quite a few people around them stood around, watching them with great interest. Makoto looked at Eiko with a hardened expression, walked up to her, and…

**_Slap!_ **

Its sound seemed to echo along the district as almost everyone froze, watching the situation in awe. The Trickster, especially, was surprised at what his friend was willing to do to make her friend see the truth.  _ ‘Damn…’ _

“Please, just wake up! You already know the truth, you just don’t want to believe it! Stop lying to yourself and see what’s in front of you.” She said seriously, forcing the third-year to walk up to her ‘boyfriend’ and look him in the eye, only for him to look away in anger and shame, directed completely at himself. The girl walked to the side… and covered her face, quiet sobs rang across the street.

“B-but… Tsukasa is the only one who cares about me… nobody else asks me about my day, or how work is going… nobody treats me like I’m special…” She said as she cried, struggling to keep her feelings in. She then turned around and walked near Makoto. “A student council president who happens to be a perfect girl who lives up to everyone’s expectations could never understand how I feel! So stop trying to feed me with your honor student bullshit!” She screamed at the girl, who simply shook her head sternly.

“...this has nothing to do with being an honor student. I just can’t rest knowing there’s such evil in the world!” She explained calmly as she looked at her friend in the eye. “And I damn sure won’t keep quiet while my friend has her life ruined! I don’t want you to lose yourself to a world you’re not ready to face, Eiko!” She turned to Tsukasa with a glare, directing all of her anger at him. “As for you, apologize to Eiko! And stay away from her from now on!” She threatened the man, who glared back at her. The Fool’s muscles tensed up at the man’s glare.

“Don’t get yourself mixed up within this, you tramp! Don’t think I’ll go easy on you just ‘cause you’re a chick! I’m gonna teach you a lesson you won’t forget, and if that’s not enough, I also have some muscle backing me up!” He said angrily as he started to head towards Makoto, only for her to enter her fighting pose, as Ren and Eiko watched in horror.

“I dare you! Come on!” She replied angrily with her fists ready as the man attempted to throw a punch at her, one she was perfectly capable of blocking… only for another hand to catch it. The man looked to the side and saw Ren look at him with… savagely mortifying yellow eyes. The Trickster knew exactly how to scare these cowards, learning so from his friend he just protected. He glared at the man as he started to twist his arm, making him scream in pain, despite not truly twisting it.

“Your fight’s with me.” He said in a low tone, not breaking eye contact as the two girls looked at him with wide eyes, pushing him away. The man attempted to throw a punch with his other hand, only for Ren to dodge it and punch Tsukasa right in the nose, making him stumble away in agony.

“Ren…” Makoto said lowly, looking at her friend in awe. Her calling him only by his name made his anger quell a little, but he kept his eye on the man holding his nose. She surprised herself when she noticed she didn’t use honorifics with him as she stood beside her leader, glaring at the man. “I come from a long line of police officers. If you really want to keep this going, be my guest. I can assure you, though… it won’t end well for you.” She said lowly as the crowd around them looked on, interested in the event. Tsukasa looked at the two and then around and cursed under his breath, as he slowly started to walk away.

“I won’t forget this… you’ll be sorry you messed with us, you tramp and criminal pretender!” He threatened as he ran away, holding his nose. Ren and Makoto both sighed and looked at each other with small smiles, forgetting that there was a crowd watching them, as their eyes did the talking. Affection, trust, happiness, relief… all of those feelings were shown by their exotic-colored eyes in just a moment of peace. A moment they didn’t expect to have...

Which was broken when Eiko muttered “This sucks!” under her breath and also ran away, though she ran to the store she worked at. The third-year tried to reach out to her, but to no avail. The second-year finally noticed the crowd around them… and while most comments were just in awe of what had just happened… some passerby wanted to call the police… which gave Ren a bad feeling, along with the comment from the host.  _ ‘Pretender… does he know about my record?!’  _ He thought in panic, as the only explanation that explained how he knew was if he  _ did _ have a network of sorts... “People saw what happened…” Makoto commented in a low tone, clearly wondering what to do. He brushed his fear aside and looked at his friend, focusing on her.

“Follow me. I know a place.” Ren said calmly as he turned to the direction of the bar, stopping and looking back at his crush, who looked at her friend’s store melancholically before running side by side with him.

\------

**Ann:** Heh remember when we were gonna go up against cognitive Wakaba and they just kept looking at each other after he saved her?

**Ryuji:** and when they kept complimenting each other at Okumuras palace?

**Haru:** I have noticed that they were flirting with one another… so it has been something that’s been happening for a while now?

**Ann:** Oh you have no idea! Let us tell you!

\------

“How did you ever find somewhere like this? You know so much.” She asked in a surprised tone as he smiled.

“I’m a regular here. This place… it’s cozy and I get good info from time to time.” He explained with a wavy hand gesture, like it was no big deal, surprising her.

“So you do come here often? It’s hard to believe you’re really a high schooler. You have so much more life experience than me...” She admitted with a small wondrous smile, before fixing her position on the stool. “Honestly, spending time with you and getting to know Eiko has given me a great deal to think about. There’s so much you can miss by living with your head buried between the pages of a book…” She wondered aloud with a calm expression toward herself as she looked at her crush with a serene expression and an open posture, her hands on her lap. “I thought I knew how the world worked… but the more time I spent with you guys, the more I realized how naïve I was.” She looked near the bar stand as the boy looked at her attentively. “I see now that there are some things I need other people to teach me.” She stopped for a moment to lightly bring her legs together, a small sign Ren didn’t miss. “...do you remember how Eiko said I would flunk a test about love? Well, um… I don’t know how to study that subject.” She then looked at him in the eye determinedly, but softly. “What should I do, Ren…?” She asked honestly, furrowing her eyebrows and closing her eyes, deliberately calling him by only his name… as a warm, fluttery feeling invaded her heart when she noticed they were completely alone and talking about their feelings... “I can’t learn about romance by myself…” She said that sentence in a rather seductive way, Ren noted… or, was enamored by… which made his mind hyper-focus on the moment.

_ ‘...I should choose my words carefully... I don’t wanna screw anything up...’ _ He thought to himself, opening his mouth, but then closing it when he looked at her once again. He saw her beautiful self and, for a single moment, took all of her image and ingrained it into his mind. He remembered how much they’ve been through together as rivals, as teammates, as friends… and he didn’t want to only be her friend. He wanted to make her smile, laugh, and achieve her dreams even more… he wanted to stand beside her through her life as he promised a few minutes ago.  _ ‘I can’t learn about romance by myself… you’re right. You really can’t. It’s a two-way street that’s very hard to cross with the wrong person...’ _ He thought warmly as he saw her furrowed eyebrows, in love with her expression. He took a deep breath and took off his glasses, placing them at the table, rubbing his eyes with his hands.  _ ‘Ok, lemme prepare myself… and… with this criminal record of mine… would she still like to be with me?’ _

_ “” _ **_Ask her._ ** _ ”” _ The deep voice of Arsène commanded him, giving him a dry smile, noticing that he shouldn’t stall… now was the moment of truth, and the best thing he could do for himself was to seize the chance, regardless of what that would bring upon them later on.

_ ‘I guess that is all I can do… alright, time for the truth.’ _

He sighed and decided to follow his own advice, noticing that she was looking away with a small blush. After a few seconds thinking, he took a deep breath... “Love isn’t something easy to learn… it takes time, effort and trust to learn about it… but…” He trailed off, calming his own heartbeat. “...if you were to find someone to help you learn… and they were supportive of you… how supportive would you be to them? And… would you still be supportive despite any hardships they may bring upon you…?” He asked worriedly and with a tinge of guilt, looking to the ground with a small frown.

Makoto’s mind froze at that moment, as those words seemed to have a second meaning that brought light to some things he told her before...

_ “-I don’t see myself doing much else other than what I do now…”  _ He told her when she asked him what he wanted to work at in the real world after telling about her dream of being a police officer.  _ “I… haven’t really thought about what I want to do in the future yet…”  _ After she reassured him that those things take time, he nodded…  _ “Alright, Makoto. I will… just… I needed some time to think… and to try and make things right.”  _

_ ‘Could… could he be referring to… himself? As in, how far would I be willing to go for him...?’ _ She thought worriedly, as her own heartbeat increased.  _ ‘...how far would I be willing to go? That answer isn’t really difficult.’ _ She took a deep breath and started to speak. “If he was there for me every step of the way, helped me realize the importance of having life experiences and treated me well… then I’d be as supportive as possible to him, regardless of how busy he is, or what he’s going through at that moment… even if it is something he finds very difficult to fix” She declared contently, smiling as her blush deepened.

Ren’s heart skipped a beat at her confession, beating faster as his mind was filled with a kind of joy he never felt before. One that was… much stronger and, dare he say, more magical than what he ever expected to feel in a lifetime… it felt like complete trust and… love…? His frown disappeared, and it was replaced with the start of a genuine smile. He looked at the back of her head and saw her slightly fidgeting. This exact action made him remember why he thought she was so cute and beautiful… which made him finally decide what his answer would be, despite his fears. He thought for a few more moments on what words to say, until the answer simply came to him at a whim, completely prepared for her.

“Makoto.” He said softly, making her look at him. Her eyes widened when she noticed his piercing gray eyes looking at her own with no barrier between them. She almost felt hypnotized by his intense look… a determined, yet gentle and caring look. She felt like his eyes were revealing his soul to her in a way she had never seen before… those beautiful and strong gray eyes that hid behind those glasses for far too long… she felt like she could look at them, his curly locks and well-defined face for all of eternity.

“Y-yes, Ren?” She asked confusedly, as he straightened his back, taking another deep breath and focusing on her beautiful ruby eyes once more, motivated by her calling him just Ren once more as he opened his mouth and finally replied with:

“I’ll be your study partner.”

“......?”

No sounds left either of their mouths at that moment, as they simply looked at one another. Makoto’s cheeks burned crimson, as her heart started beating faster than before.  _ ‘D-does… this actually mean what… I think… it means…?’  _ She thought hopefully.

“U-um…” She stuttered as she barely managed to look at him due to her expression of happiness and confusion, but did her best to look at him. “I-I’m not exactly the most well-versed in these matters, so, allow me to confirm this…” She said with a sudden bout of formality, which made the boy lightly smirk, only not in a playful way… but in an admiring way… which made her stop to admire him and organize her thoughts.

“......”

“......”

“......”

“...do you.... Like me?”

Simple and to the point. So Makoto, it made him smile even more as he let out a deep sigh of relief. Truth be told… a part of himself screamed at him to say no, to bow down to his fear, to his record… but his heart told him to keep going. He was already this far with her, and he didn’t want to lie in her face nor to himself. His heart beating as fast and as strong as it was enough proof of what he was going to reply.

“I do. I… really, really like you Makoto. M-more than anyone else...”

His admission couldn’t be more direct, either. She didn’t even have time to process properly what he had just told her as her heartbeat took over her cognitive process and butterflies swirled up in her stomach, as a feeling of joy like no other filled her body.

“O-oh…” Was all she managed to mutter, as her own feelings for the boy suddenly became very clear… despite her denying that when she spoke to Johanna the day prior. “U-um… you really mean it, right...?” She asked innocently, to which he nodded simply but firmly, his warm smile never leaving his face. “W-well then…” She stopped as she looked down embarrassedly to the ground, mustering up the courage to say what she had wanted to ask him for quite a while now, but never had the courage to say it… “If, um… if it’s alright with you…”

“Let’s start dating… for real…”

She held her legs with strength as her feelings overwhelmed her, trying to keep her blush at bay, but miserably failing. She didn’t even realize… that she had been in love with him for quite a while now… but hearing him say those words at that moment… made her finally realize it.

“This is so embarrassing…”

He smiled at her as butterflies turned and flew all around his stomach. He was terrified that his little stunt would only result in catastrophe within his mind, but… now that he had done it… he relished watching her embarrassed expression as she tried to compose herself.  _ ‘How are you so effin’ adorable?’  _ He thought happily, ignoring the voice in the back of his mind that was still afraid, pushing it back to a corner and admired her beauty.

“I look forward to, um… growing our relationship, um... together....”

The words left her mouth in an attempt to sound mature and in control, but only revealing how much her feelings were overwhelming her to the boy, who smirked gleefully, as he neared his hand to hers, surprising her.

“May I…?”

The question came gently as he offered her his hand. Her blush didn’t leave her face as she slowly nodded, letting him hold her hand. He felt her smooth skin and her strong grip as he held it gently, smiling at her.

“Your hand… it’s so beautiful…”

She lightly squeaked at his remark as he gently rubbed his thumb on her palm, admiring and worshipping her like the Queen he always considered her to be. She squirmed under his touch, not because it was uncomfortable… but because nobody had touched her that way before… He kept rubbing his thumb in her palm, which made her tense muscles soften as she calmed down, though her blush didn’t leave her face. This felt so… intimate to her. She couldn’t think of anyone else she wanted to be doing this to her, even if it wasn’t such a big action... She looked into his deep gray eyes and felt… an urge to get closer to him. It seemed as if he felt the same way, as he slowly approached her, too. As they neared one another, they felt their hot breaths on each other’s skin… a powerful, almost energetic wave coursed through their bodies as they stood only a few centimeters apart from… kissing. He stopped before getting closer, focusing on her eyes once more as she did the same… as if asking for permission.

“You kids done with your little heart-to-heart, yet?” Lala-chan suddenly spoke as she approached them with a huge smirk, making the two split up as Ren quickly put on his glasses, unaware of their current position. The two blushed like tomatoes, barely able to look at one another.

“S-sorry about that… it’s rude for us to stay so long after only ordering tea…” Makoto commented bashfully and with wide eyes. The purple-haired woman smiled and waved her hand at them.

“Oh, don’t worry. Just a glimpse into this fresh drama of yours is the only apology I need.” She smiled as she took out her phone. “It’s a nice spitz of lemon into the air. Reminds me of when I was just a wee girl…” She said nostalgically as she checked something on her phone before smirking. Ren’s phone vibrated at that moment, making his check the notification and gasp. Makoto scooted over to his side to see what it was… only to find a video of them with their hands together from Lala’s point of view. “Pardon the intrusion, dearies, but I know you’ll want this recorded for the rest of your lives. No need to thank me.” The bar owner declared triumphantly as she headed to the back, leaving to dumbfounded and blushing teens behind on the counter. It seemed that she didn’t notice they were about to kiss the moment she barged in... they stood motionless before the frizzy-haired boy lightly chuckled, still holding his phone.

“S-since I already have it here… w-want to take a picture together?” He asked innocently, which made her look at him with a partially opened mouth of shock.

“I-I…” She tried to speak but felt her embarrassment take the better of her, making her only nod in glee and bashfulness. He smirked at her and, in a daring move, put his arm around her shoulders, feeling his confidence slowly return to him. She let out a small sound of complaint and covered her face with her hands as he gave Lala-chan his phone. An idea popped into his mind, as he took off his glasses and gave the camera a thumbs-up, surprising his older friend, who smiled at his happiness and confidence.

He let her go and put his glasses back on before she opened her eyes again, quickly texting the image to Ryuji with a smile. He knew his best friend would like this news. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by Lala approaching them. “I’m getting a bad vibe from that man. I think you two should leave.” She warned them, pointing at the entrance of her bar, which had two bodyguards entering it. Ren nodded at her.

“Fine. We’ll be leaving. Thanks for the service!” The boy said casually, doing his best impression of a normal customer as he grabbed Makoto’s hand, trying to guide her to the exit worriedly.

“Going so soon?.” They heard Tsukasa’s voice ring from the door. They looked his way and saw him, standing beside the two guards, keeping Eiko hostage, the poor girl squirming in his grasp. The red-eyed girl took a few steps forward, first looking at her friend worriedly and then glaring at the host.

“Let her go.” She said fiercely, taking out her phone from her pocket. “I told you I can keep this going.” He laughed at her bravado, taking out a gun and pointing it at her.

“I can keep goin’, too, tramp.” He threatened her, who stared defiantly at him, before Ren stood beside her, his phone also in his hand, recording the situation. The host club pointed his gun at the boy. “You better stop recordin’. Or do you want some lead on that pretty forehead of yours?” The boy shook his head.

“Of course not. But go ahead and shoot me if you’d like. This recording’s being saved in cloud storage. If you delete it from my phone, it’ll be automatically sent to the police.” He blackmailed the man, internally smiling and thanking Mishima for that daring stunt. The messy-haired host growled, lowering his gun.

“That would be a problem for me. So, how ‘bout we make a deal?” Makoto put her phone in her pocket, glaring at him.

“I’m supposing it has to do with the amount of money Eiko ‘owes’ you?” She crossed her arms, making him smile.

“Perceptive. 375,000 yen one week from now. That okay with you?” HIs offer made the two freeze up. That was...

“That’s ridiculous! Teenagers can’t pay that much!” Lala intervened, only to have one of the guards point a gun at her.

“Oh, really? They shouldn’t have messed with me!” Tsukasa shouted, pointing his gun at Eiko, who screamed fearfully. “Sorry, princess, but you should’ve stayed put like a good girl and just done as I told you.” She squirmed, looking at Makoto and Ren, who stood defiantly beside each other, and gathered enough courage to spit on Tsukasa’s face, making him let her go. She dashed behind the two, who protected her, Lala running to their side to also shield the girl. The man with unkempt hair wiped the spit away and laughed. “Quite the balls you got, princess! Too bad that means you’ll have to die now.” He pointed his gun at her, only for Ren and Makoto to raise their hands.

“Hold up, hold up!” The glasses boy shouted, standing in front of the two girls. “You want your money? Consider it done.” He said, typing something on his phone. “Give us a week and we’ll pay the 375,000 yen, with 25,000 extra for Eiko’s struggle.” He bargained with the man, showing his phone screen to Makoto, whose eyes widened before she nodded. The offer seemed to interest the man, who motioned him to keep going.

“We will also delete the video from Ren-kun’s phone and let you keep your activities going.” She continued the offer, making the man smile. “Our only terms are that you don’t mess with Eiko anymore.” She added fiercely, making him sigh before nodding.

“Fine. Gimme your phones, though.” He ordered them with his gun, to which they complied. He took them and gave them to the smaller guard, who installed two small chips in them. “Those chips install an app that tracks you and checks what apps you’re openin’ up and your notifications. Since I’m nice, I’m gonna give ya 8 days instead of the week to get everything, which means each of you needs to make 25,000 a day. With beauty such as you, you’re gonna make that money really easily with some  _ special jobs _ around here.” He pointed at Makoto with a snake-ish grin, which made her flinch in disgust. “As for you…” He approached the Fool, who stood on his guard. “I have no idea what you’ll do. Maybe ask mommy and daddy for some allowance. Or maybe sell a kidney? I hear those sell for quite the money!” He turned around, leaving behind a boy with shaking fists. “Now that we’re done… you better have my money by the deadline. If not… get ready to have your and your family’s lives ruined. That includes you, bartender.” He threatened one last time, leaving the establishment with his bodyguards. Though he left, the tension in the air stayed, as the four looked at one another. Eiko in particular was shaking, which prompted Makoto to approach her.

“Eiko…” She called out to the girl, who shook her head, tears streaming down her face. She attempted to put her hand on the girl’s shoulder, but she pushed her away.

“Why…?! I don’t want anything to do with you, and now… I put you in deep shit…” She spoke regretfully, covering her face with her hands, embarrassed of herself. Makoto looked at Ren, who nodded and walked up to Lala-chan, talking to her for a bit before they both started texting and making calls. Makoto didn’t know to who… but she was sure he was calling for help. Kaneshiro really helped them learn quite a lot when it came to these criminals. The student council president pulled a chair for her friend and offered her to sit down, to which she obliged. She sat beside her and looked at her.

“Eiko… please look at me.” Her calm tone seemed to work, as her friend turned to look at her. “We’re going to get through this. Tsukasa’s not going to get his money, he’s not going to come after you, and most definitely not going after our families.” She spoke determinedly, as the ponytail girl listened intently, before shaking her head.

“I doubt it… that…  _ thing _ has a ton of people on his grasp and shit… we’re all doomed…” She put her hands on her face again, only for the brunette to gently place her hands on her shoulders and make her look at her.

“We’re not. Ren and I have an ace up our sleeve. Right, s-sweetheart?” She spoke up to him, who smiled warmly at her nickname at him and nodded.

“Right,  _ sweetheart~ _ . Everything’s ready. Everyone’s notified and ready to help us.” He spoke confidently, approaching the two. He locked eyes with the second Buchimaru lover, giving her a reassuring look. “We are in big shit, that much is true. But we’ve managed to make some friends that can help us. And trust us… we  _ will _ get out of this.” His voice reassured her in a way she didn’t think was possible, as her heartbeat started to slow down and she nodded. They heard a car’s horn outside, which made them smile. “Come on. Iwai’s here.” He told them, motioning everyone to leave with him, as the four made their way outside and found an armored black car.

“Get in.” A gruff voice spoke from the front, the three teenagers entering the back and the bartender going in the front. Ren smiled at the man, Makoto looked at him in awe, Eiko was intimidated by him and Lala was indifferent. He looked at all of them and sighed. “Kid, I dunno what the hell you’ve gotten yourself into, but it’s a good thing I was catchin’ up with an old friend.”

“I’m in your debt, man. Thank you so much.” The boy said honestly, as the man turned on the car’s engine.

“You bet you are. Think I should remove part of your payment next time you come to work?” He teased with a smirk, only for Ren to place his hands on his chin and nod. Iwai looked at him with wide eyes through the mirror. “Tsk… can’t even take a joke? Well, whatever. We headed to Untouchable?”

“I think that’s for the best. It’s the safest place we can be in right now, and Tsukasa will think we’re working there.” His commentary made Makoto smile at him.

“Which, due to the store’s reputation, will seem like the perfect place to get a ton of money quickly!” She commented proudly, before gasping and bowing to Iwai. “I’m sorry. You’re being so kind and I speak of your store that way... “ He waved his hand at her as they started to leave the district.

“It’s okay. I’m used to it.” He reassured with a small smile. “So, who else is comin’?”

\------

_ Earlier... _

Ryuji and Ann both walked along Central Street, searching for something to do. They had quite a slow day today, and when Ren warned them that Makoto needed his help today, they knew that their next Palace trip would have to wait. They tried calling Futaba, Yusuke and Haru to hang out, but they were all busy in their own way. So, both were leaning against the wall of the alleyway that lead to Protein Lovers. “Man… talk about borin’. Why isn’t anything interestin’ going on today?!” The boy complained as he looked up at the sky, his friend shaking her head.

“I dunno… I just want to do  _ something _ ! Play something fun, eat a crepe, run a lap… but I don’t wanna…” She said tiredly, taking a sip from a soda her friend gave her earlier.

“I get ya… I’m not in the mood to actually do anything today. I just wanna… fall onto bed and relax, I guess…” He said in the same tone, which made her nod. “Wanna come over to my place and just chill? Mom would be thrilled to have you there.” He said calmly as she giggled. “What?”

“Oh, nothing, it’s just… it’s funny to think of you asking me to come to your house like that.” She teased with a wink, which made his eyes widen. “And no, I’m not mad. I just… thought Ren would be the first one of the group to ask someone out… guess I was wrong~.” She sang as Ryuji stammered to find a suitable reply. At that moment, his phone vibrated, so he took it, hoping it would be an update to his game or a message from-

At that moment, Ryuji hadn’t felt this level of pure happiness in a long time… it was so strong, it emanated from his face as he saw the beautiful picture his friend sent him. His lips departed, as all of his pent up joy left his body at once through a continuous shout:

“ **HOOOOOOOLLLLLYYYYYYY SSSHHHHHIIIIIIITTTTTT!!!** ” His shout nearly made his blonde friend deaf, as a ton of passerby watched him with either horrified, scared, or dirty looks. She punched his arm with the most strength she could muster. “OW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!”

“DON’T scream like that! You wanna make me use a hearing aid?!” She asked annoyedly, to which her friend smirked at her.

“Bet you 1000 yen you’ll squeal at this.” He said with his hand extended to her, as she laughed and shook it.

“Bet.” She said calmly as he showed her the news he received on the phone. She squealed at a MUCH higher pitch than his scream, which made him cover his ears and a ton of passerby to glare at them. “OH MY GOSH, I’M SO HAPPY!!!” She continued, blissfully unaware of the glares she received as the image of a smiling Ren holding a blushing Makoto burned itself into her mind.

**Ren:** Guess who’s the newest couple in Tokyo?

**Ren:**

****

**Ryuji:**

****

**Ryuji:** TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!

**Ryuji:** YYEEEAAAHHHH

When they received no reply, they assumed it was because the two wanted to keep the moment for themselves, so Ryuji put his phone away after texting them a winking emoji. “Oh my gosh… it finally happened! We’ve been wanting them to confess for 2 months now!” Ann exclaimed excitedly, which made Ryuji nod as well.

“Yeah… it’s weird to think that a few months ago, we stood in this alley tryin’ to rescue her from a gang when we didn’t even like her!” He commented aloud, though in a lower tone than usual.

“Wow, you’re learning to control your voice! Nice.” She commented with a smirk before nodding. “Yeah… I hated her back then, honestly. You and Yusuke, too. The only ones who didn’t were Ren and Morgana. Heh… so weird to think how much changes in just a few months, right?” She continued as she looked around the alleway in awe, remembering that day with vivid detail.

“Yeah… to think she’d become one of our best friends and save our asses more than once.” The brown-eyed boy said with his arms crossed before smirking. “And that she’d steal Ren’s heart without even tryin’. Hell, he couldn’t keep his eye off of her in Hawaii.” He said with a big smirk, which made Ann smirk at him.

“Oh, really? I did notice him looking at her at the beach, but… when else?” She asked, to which he smiled and looked at the sky, remembering that day.

“It was on the second day, when we stopped to see the statue of Kamehameha.”

\------

_ September 9th - Aliʻiolani Hale, Honolulu _

**_Futaba:_ ** _ Lame. I coulda found an image of that online. _

_ “It is just a dude wearin’ a gold loincloth, after all…” Ryuji said sadly as he put his hands in his pockets. Makoto shook her head and put her hand under her chin. _

_ “This man is responsible for a great achievement, though.” She said calmly, making everyone look at her curiously. “He created a law named ‘Kanawai Mahalahoe’. It stipulated the protection of human rights for non-combatants in times of battle.” She spoke in awe, looking at the statue with a big smile. Ren smiled at the statue, too. _

_ “The protector of the little guys… I like him already.” He said happily, to which Makoto nodded and Yusuke framed the statue in his fingers. _

_ “I had no idea… that’s really cool!” The blonde said surprisedly, smiling at the statue and then smirking at Makoto. “A guy who created a whole kingdom, was great at negotiations and protected the weak… is that your kinda guy?” She asked deviously, which made all of the boys look at her with wide eyes. Ren specifically seemed nervous at the question, tilting his head down so his expression wouldn’t be as easily readable. The headband-wearing girl smiled at her friend. _

_ “Well, my sister IS a public prosecutor, so she discussed these topics pretty frequently a while back. Those conversations started to interest me in legal history.” She said calmly before looking at the statue once more. “I can say with confidence that I admire Kamehameha quite a lot. The man had a number of great achievements under his hand.” She said with a smile. Ryuji elbowed his best friend with a smirk. _

_ “What would you do if Makoto seriously had a thing for older guys?” He asked deviously, though in a tone in which Ann and Makoto wouldn’t hear them. Yusuke stopped appreciating the statue to look at the two as Ren nearly choked on air. He looked at the girl with a soft expression and looked at his two friends before sighing. _

_ “I’d be pretty bummed, not gonna lie…” He said honestly, which made his two male friends smile. _

_ “Woah-ow! That really means what I think it does, doesn’t it?!” He said excitedly, as Ren scratched his neck embarrassedly. “Oh, dude, but you’d better watch out to not piss her off. She’d run you over if you did!” He joked, to which Ren chuckled, trying to hide his now growing blush. _

_ “Ah, the beauty of love. Theo, you should not let your Johanna slip away so easily.” Yusuke commented with a confident smile. The Wild Card laughed nervously once more before turning around and looking away. _

_ “What’s the matter? Is everything okay?” Makoto asked suddenly, cutting their conversation short. _

_ “Uh… nothing...” The runner lied badly, making the two girls look at him and Ren with curious eyes, only for Yusuke to return the subject to the statue, quickly changing the subject and saving Ren’s dignity. _

\------

“What?! He actually told you that he liked her BEFORE our ‘spill the beans’ session?!” Ann asked incredulously, to which he nodded with a smirk.

“Yep! And he couldn’t stop thinkin’ about her after that!” He said pridefully. “I think that’s what lead him to invitin’ her out to the beach on our last day there. I was pretty pissed at him back then, but now, I’m just glad he had the guts to call her out!” He continued happily. At that moment, his phone vibrated. “Oh, might be more good stuff from him!” He commented as Ann quickly stood beside him. What they saw, however… worried them.

It was an unknown number that sent them a worrying text message.

“What the eff?!” He commented aloud worriedly, quickly typing away at the phone’s screen.

**???:** You’re Ren Amamiya’s best friend, right? He, Makoto, her friend, and I need your help.

**Ryuji:** who is this? how do you have my number?

**???:** I wish I could say more, kiddo, but we’re all in serious trouble and need your help

**???:** Come over at a store named Untouchable and bring your friends. We’re going from Crossroads, so we should be there in 20-30 minutes.

They both looked at the phone with worried looks. “How can we trust this person?” The model wondered, as Ryuji shrugged and read the messages again.

“Wait… Crossroads… ain’t that…” He murmured before his eyes widened. “It’s the bar Ren got Kaneshiro’s name! It could be his contact… what was her name…?” He asked aloud, remembering her name and typing it.

**Ryuji:** you that Ohya chick?

**???:** Close. I’m her friend, Lala-chan. Just come over, kiddo, please.

She sent him a picture of Ren and Makoto in the bar talking to Eiko, confirming who she was. He looked at his friend with furrowed brows, as she took out her phone and started to send a text to the group. “Good thing we’re already so close. Let’s call the others and head there.” The blonde runner declared seriously, as both started to call their friends to head to their destination. 

\------

Shinjuku - Tsukasa’s club

“Sir, they’re headed to Central Street in a car.” His meek bodyguard warned his boss, who nodded, sending the two a text message with a threat, to which they quickly replied, telling him not to worry. He growled at his phone.

“The hell they doin’ in a car?” He wondered aloud, heading to the side of his guard and checking their position. He kept watching their location until he noticed that they stopped near Untouchable. “Clever little bastards.” He muttered, his guard nodding. “I was hopin’ she’d sell herself, but those two seem to be pretty street smart. Now we wait.” He declared confidently, sitting on his chair. His strong bodyguard approached the laptop and his eyes widened.

“Uh… boss?” He called out worriedly. “The owner of that store’s ex-Yakuza. If they got there by car through that alley… don’t that mean they’re friends with the guy?” The fear in his voice was imminent, and it made the host’s eyes widen.

“...shit.” He panicked, standing up and pacing back and forth desperately, snapping his fingers. He demanded them to send him a photo of them working, which they did. The picture showed them organizing the replicas, shelves and whatnot. Despite the evidence… his heart didn’t slow down. “They seem to be behavin’... but now that you said it…”

“Can we trust ‘em, Boss?” His meek guard asked, to which he shook his head.

“No, not really… but if they’re there, they’re protected, and we can’t threaten their families, since they’re obeyin’...” The reality of the situation made him dizzy, as he sat down once again. “Oh… I’m not sure what to do! If only I could deal with ‘em alone, with no complicated bullshit on the way…” He wished aloud, placing his hand on his temple. “Do we have any contacts to help us out?!”

“I’m not sure Boss! We’ll check!” The man said worriedly, not wanting to receive any harsh punishment from his boss... while also beginning to doubt his line of work.


	2. Teammates and a new spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After escaping from Shinjuku with Iwai's protection, Ren and Makoto gather with their teams and discuss a plan of attack going forward, to change Tsukasa's heart and save Eiko. How would the host react to this threat? COULD he do anything?

Central Street - Untouchable

“How far away are they?” Yusuke asked with his arms crossed, worry evident in his voice. Futaba sighed, looking up from her laptop to the tall boy.

“Inari, I’m worried too, but you’ve asked me the same question 2 minutes ago and the answer’s still the same. They’re arriving soon.” She spoke, turning back to it and writing some code for… something the artist couldn’t comprehend… but it compelled him deeply, so he watched her in no hopes of understanding what she did, but wanting to distract himself from his worrying. Haru watched the two from the corner near the bikes with a smile and turned to Ann and Ryuji, who both leaned against the door of the store and played a small game with a square on their phone.

“Everyone’s so close in the team… it’s nice.” Her sweet voice caught the attention of the blondes, both of whom nodded happily.

“Yeah, spending time with everyone in the Metaverse and out forced us to get closer. I never would have spoken to Ryuji again if not for Kamoshida’s Palace.” She spoke with a smirk, pointing at the boy as he complained. The fluffy-haired girl giggled, and then stopped to think.

“It makes me wonder… if Ren-kun had never gotten his powers, would he have met us in any way?” She asked curiously, making the two blondes frown.

“I’d… rather not think about that...” Ryuji looked back at his game, his frown not leaving his face. Before any of them could carry on the conversation, they saw someone approach them from the street. Right as the figure got close enough for them to ask who it was…

“NPC Nishima…” Futaba commented aloud, making the blue-haired boy sigh.

“Y-yeah… ha hah… it’s me, N-Nishima…” He joked awkwardly, making everyone sigh. Ryuji approached him.

“So, why you here?” He asked curiously, as the boy showed him his laptop and three phones.

“I’m here to help Ren. He’s told me what happened and I came prepared!” He said with a big, proud smile, before looking around. “They aren’t here yet?” The team shook their heads, only for Futaba to stand up.

“Actually, they are.” She spoke dramatically, pointing to the street, as Ren, Makoto, Iwai, Eiko, and Lala all approached them. It was a sight to behold for the teenagers; this specific group's formation. Many things caught their attention: Lala’s presence in general, Iwai’s gruff persona (for those that didn’t know him), Eiko’s simple cuteness, but most importantly… Ren and Makoto standing side by side, unable to make true eye contact, as he smiled dumbly at her and she tried to cover her blush. As Iwai unlocked the door to the store, the whole team smirked approvingly at the two, especially Ryuji, Ann and Futaba, which made the two blush even harder. While the situation was tense, seeing the two team leaders acting that way around each other raised the morale for the thieves and Lala-chan. Iwai was indifferent, Mishima didn’t seem to be super happy (though he was) and Eiko… stayed quiet most of the time.

Ren felt the warmth of his friends as he, Iwai, and Makoto organized some space in the back of the store so they could create a meeting, while also taking some pictures of him and his girlfriend organizing some of the replicas to send to Tsukasa just in case. They all sat down at their impromptu meeting table, with Ren taking the lead, observing everyone and their states. He looked at Makoto with a nod and smiled. “All right, thanks for coming and for the help, guys.” He started out, standing up and placing his hands on the table. “So, I’m gonna quickly fill you guys in on what happened today and tell you our plan.” He and Lala started to tell the Phantom Thieves and Mishima what happened, as they all listened intently. He and Makoto’s phones vibrated, so the girl took them and sent the pictures to Tsukasa, sighing angrily at his demands.

She then looked at Eiko and Ren, analyzing them. Eiko seemed to want to disappear from there, her hands shifting on her lap uncomfortably as she looked down, not paying attention to the meeting. She wondered what to say… but no words came to mind. Of course she would be feeling this way… if their positions were switched, she’d probably feel the same way. So, after sighing, she looked at her now-boyfriend, the way he spoke seriously but with certain levity about what happened to them and what they planned to do, while omitting the fact they were Phantom Thieves to Iwai and Lala-chan. Seeing him confidently speak like that and listen to any question and answer it with ease… it showed her how far he’d come as a leader and as a person, and she felt oddly proud of him for being able to evolve so much in such a short span of time. Her phone vibrated once more, so she looked at it and saw… Tsukasa’s calling card on the front page of the Phan-site! She discreetly asked for Futaba’s phone and opened the site there, taking a quick moment to read it:

_ To Tsukasa Yamashita, sinner of avarice and vanity: _

_ You have tainted the streets of Shinjuku with your money-laundering schemes for long enough. You ruin the lives of several young women to exploit the sexual urges of men just as depraved as yourself. _

_ We have decided to make you confess your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. _

_ From, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts. _

She smirked at the notice, feeling her blood pumping at the idea of getting back at this Kaneshiro wannabe. She then looked at Eiko and, feeling a burst of inspiration from her boyfriend casually discussing the details of the plan with the team, approached her. “Eiko?” She said lowly, scaring the girl. “I’m sorry I scared you… but I have good news!” She said happily, showing her the phone with a relieved smile. The ponytail girl’s eyes widened as she read the news, looking at the phone in awe.

“Wha… how in the hell…?” She could barely speak, as a small relieved smile appeared on her face, as the Priestess smiled back at her. “H-how… did this happen?” The red-eyed girl put a hand on her chin.

“Ren and I, along with a few hosts from the area and some women made a request for him online… and, I guess… w-we were just lucky and the Thieves replied so quickly?” She lied, giving a quick unintentional glance to her other friends. Eiko narrowed her eyes at her friend, opening her mouth to speak only to be interrupted by Ren calling Makoto. She quickly turned to face him, but she felt Eiko staring at the back of her head.

“So, Makoto, ready to put our plan in motion?” He asked casually, as she nodded. He smirked at her and then the team. “Then let’s get this over with. Let’s get the Thieves’ some help and get Eiko out of this situation.” His confidence transferred over to the whole group, getting them pumped up. He motioned Makoto over and they worked for about 20 minutes, right as the sun started to set, as Futaba and Mishima planted two cameras in fixed positions and recorded and took pictures of everything the two did, the rest of the crew waiting outside. Any time Tsukasa asked them for proof that they were working, they either took a new picture in a dynamic pose or used one of the frames of the videos. When they saw the orange hues of the sky, Ren and Makoto started to step out of the shop and thanked Iwai, who reassured them it was no big deal, and Mishima, who stayed with their phones and his laptop, taking the individual frames of the videos and making sure to mess with their phones from time to time, as if they were still there. They reassured Lala-chan that everything would be okay as she stayed in the gun shop to receive Iwai’s protection. Then, they turned to Eiko, who still seemed pretty down, but they could see a spark of hope in her eyes.

“Eiko.” Makoto spoke up, making the girl look at them. “We’ll be back soon. By the time we’re back, I’m sure the Thieves will have changed his heart.” She reassured the girl, who nodded slowly. Ren approached them calmly, placing a hand on Makoto’s shoulder.

“And when they do, you won’t have to worry about Tsukasa or any debt. You have our word.” Ren added seriously, not breaking eye contact with her. She nodded again, as they turned to leave. Right as they opened the door, however, she dashed to their side and looked at them.

“U-Um…” She trailed off, grabbing her left forearm. “I-I’m really thankful for all you’re doing for me… but… why go so far as to talk to the Thieves?” The confusion in her voice made the two smile, as Makoto put a hand on her shoulder.

“Because I… no,  _ we _ won’t let evil take advantage of good people like you. And… you’re our friend. It’s as simple as that. We’re also going to give them some replicas for them to do their job.” She spoke calmly, her smile not leaving her face. Eiko’s eyes widened, feeling something even stronger than what Tsukasa gave her as she looked at the Student Council President and the Transfer Student. They looked at each other and nodded, turning for the door. “You’re gonan be safe here. See you in a few.” Makoto said calmly, heading out of the door Ren opened for her with a big smile.

“Let’s go, Queen.” His sentence got him a small ‘ooh!” from Mishima and Lala, and a smirk from Iwai, as she blushed and headed outside, grabbing his hand on the way and pulling him along. When they got outside, they saw the team smiling at them, as they bashfully smiled back. Ann looked at her watch and her smile grew.

“We still have 10 minutes to go to Mementos. We’re gonna go wait by the steps. You two hang out wherever you’d like.” She offered quickly, dragging Ryuji and Futaba along the station as they protested, while Haru and Yusuke followed after admiring the sight of the two lovers. The two, now with a ton of space they didn’t know they had, walked to the Station Square and sat near the Buchiko statue, enjoying the sunset together, only this time, they closed the distance they had back in Hawaii, holding each other’s hands over their legs as they watched the orange sky slowly turn dark blue, feeling a moment of peace they didn’t expect amidst the threat against them.

“I-it isn’t as pretty as the one in Hawaii… but it’s still a sight to behold.” Makoto’s voice soothed Ren, who nodded with a big smile.

“It really is. Especially when you’re with someone you like.” He teased her, as she whined and blushed, making him giggle. He admired how cute she was when she was nervous, but when she recovered, he also admired her natural beauty, as he watched her appreciate the sunset. When it was 17:57 and the sun was almost completely gone, they heard Ryuji call them over. “It’s time.” The boy said seriously, standing up. She did the same, sighing.

“Before we go, Ren… there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” She motioned to his pocket, as he grabbed the Wishing Star with a confused look. She nodded at him with a big smile, making him smirk.

\------

Shinjuku - Tsukasa’s club

“ **YOU’VE GOTTA BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!** ” The host shouted at the top of his lungs, nearly making his bodyguards deaf. “THEY DECIDED TO TARGET ME?! ME OF ALL PEOPLE?!”

One of his bodyguards looked at him worriedly. “W-well… what do we do now?” He asked worriedly, as his boss shook his head.

“Keep tryin’ to call any contacts, dumbass! God, don’t you realize we can’t have me havin’ a change of heart?!” He shouted, as his guards nodded begrudgingly, taking their phones once more and calling any number they could, despite the fact that most ignored them... Tsukasa himself picked up his phone and scrolled through his contact list… only to remember that nearly all of his contacts hated him due to his take and go stunt.  _ ‘...crap. Think, Tsukasa… who can you call?’  _ He scrolled through all of his contacts until he found one name that caught his attention. He looked at the window and saw that the sun was setting, so now would be the time to call him. He took a deep breath and dialed the number, feeling tense. He heard deep, raspy breaths from the other side.

_ “Who is it?” _ The raspy voice asked annoyingly, as Tsukasa took a deep breath.

“H-hey, Kiritani-san. I-it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” He asked worriedly, scared of the man.

_ “Bah, it’s you, Tsuka. Spill it quick or I’ll hang up.” _ The killer for hire demanded as he complied.

“Okay, okay! I’ve been targeted by the Phantom Thieves. What do I do so they don’t change my heart?” He asked pathetically. The line stayed silent for a few seconds before he heard a chuckle.

_ “So, it’s your turn.” _ He spoke definitely as Tsukasa shook his head.

“No, no! Listen! I don’t wanna have my heart changed! I wanna be able to create my empire and thrive off of it! Can’t you give me any tips?” The man on the other side laughed, which sent a chill down his spine.

_ “How would I give any tips if I haven’t been found yet, huh?” _ He asked sarcastically, to which the man froze, not thinking about that.  _ “Considerin’ how pathetic you are… I’d say the best thing you can do is pray, Tsuka-boy. You ain’t gettin’ help from anyone, so you better hope God helps ya! Even he might abandon ya!” _ The voice taunted him one last time before hanging up on his face. The host shook with anger and threw his phone to the ground with a scream, taking uncontrolled breaths. His guards approached him.

“You better have good-”

“No luck, boss. Most didn’t even pick up, and the ones that did said you were on your own.” The strong guard spoke up, as the man threw a punch at the wall, breathing heavily.

“Why the hell would they target  _ me _ ?! What have I done wrong to face their wrath?!” He shouted at the top of his lungs, pacing back and forth wildly. The tall bald man was about to open his mouth, but his contractor sat on his knees, clasping his hands together.

“Boss? What’re you doing?” He asked confusedly, his brother standing beside him with the same confused expression.

“What does it look like? I’m praying my heart doesn’t change.” He said angrily, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.  _ “Oh, Powerful One… please show mercy to me and my future organization… I don’t wanna have my heart changed by the Thieves… please… help me take care of them and of those two nosy Shujin assholes…” _ He murmured scaredly, as his guards sat on the chairs beside him and watched him uncomfortably. As Tsukasa kept praying, he felt a strange feeling wash over him… a feeling of control and power he never felt before… as if God had answered his prayer!

\------

Mementos - Path of Chemdah - Path 3

Makoto drove Morgana through the dark and dreary paths of Mementos with a certain ease, since the Shadows in that area feared them. It was a good thing that she didn’t have to focus on them, because… there was an awkward silence between her and Ren. He sat beside her in the passenger’s seat, but he seemed to shift between having unfocused eyes, most likely checking with his Personas, and focusing on her and attempting to speak, but not being able to find the words to strike a conversation. It didn’t help that the rest of the team also stayed uncharacteristically quiet, waiting on what they had to say. She sighed, opening her mouth to speak... only to stay quiet once more.  _ ‘...why do I feel uncomfortable? Ren and I have just started dating… and we’re around the team... ‘ _

“So… nice weather, huh?” Ren spoke up randomly, making the younger half of the team smirk while the oldest half looked at him in shame. She saw Futaba open her mouth to keep the chain going, but Ann covered her mouth, looking at Makoto through the mirror with an encouraging look. She took a deep breath and looked at her boyfriend.

“N-not really… it’s just the usual dark and moody atmosphere we have every day down here…” She attempted to joke, only for her to hear a muffled cackle from Futaba, embarrassing her. He smirked at her.

“So just another regular Tuesday?” He asked cockily, to which she nodded. “...cool…” The awkward silence returned, and this time, it was even more unbearable than before. They heard one of the team sigh while another coughed. She would stop Morgana to ask why they were acting this way… but she knew why. She just wondered why she couldn’t say anything… so, to help clear her mind, she started to hum a song…

“[ _ This ain’t a song for the broken-hearted... _ ]” She started meekly, in such a low tone she thought no one would hear it. Except… of course Ren would hear it. With a small smile, he continued in a higher volume.

“[ _ No silent prayer for the faith-departed. _ ]” He sang with a beautiful voice she’d never heard before, perfectly capturing the tone of the song. She looked at him with wide eyes as he smiled at her. She felt a small smile creep up on her face as they walked down another floor. When they entered the Monabus once more, they smiled fully at one another and continued.

“[ _ I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd, you're gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loud! _ ]” They sang together, the feeling of awkwardness and tension due to being in Mementos gone, replaced by a strange new warmth they never felt before, but that was welcoming and cozy. Futaba started to tap on her laptop to the rhythm while Ryuji pretended to do the ‘wow-wow’ sound from the song. They looked back and saw everyone smile at them, so they looked forward as she stepped on the gas.

_ “ _ [ _ It’s my life~, it’s now or never; but I ain’t gonna live forever! I just wanna live while I’m alive~~ _ ] _. _ ” They sang in unison, passing through the floor at blazing speeds while Ann clapped to the rhythm excitedly, Haru looked at the situation with a big smile and Yusuke attempted not to throw up. Ann sang the back chorus while they continued, running into a Shadow and destroying it with one hit. Even Morgana joined in by humming the bass of the song.

“[ _ My heart is like an open highway. Like Frankie said, ‘I did it my way’! I just wanna live while I’m alive! _ ]” Their tone was at the highest it could be as they mowed down the beginning Shadows of Kaneshiro’s Palace, remembering the difficulty they had to defeat these enemies back when Makoto first awakened to her Persona. That day, the sight of her in her Phantom Thief outfit destroying Shadows after all that she had gone through to help them made him learn to respect and admire her. And the same happened for her, as she noticed that she was part of this group, and how much she admired the leader of the said group for his fierce determination and kindness. They unconsciously held each other’s hands for the next verse, feeling the buildup to the main attraction of the song with a happy glee.

“[ _ It’s _

_ My _

_ Life! _ ]”

The team cheered them on with huge grins and whoos, making the two smile bashfully at each other when they noticed they were holding hands. Makoto stopped driving to take a deep breath, turning to her friends and bowing, as Joker did the same. “Man, you two sing really well!” Ann commented excitedly, clasping her hands together.

“For real! That was awesome!” Ryuji added with a fist bump to the two. Yusuke groaned from his side.

“As much as I admire your prowess… please, never drive that way again.” Yusuke pleaded worriedly, clutching his stomach. She nodded apologetically, forgetting for a moment about his carsickness. They nodded but saw some Shadows run towards them.

“Come on. We have some opponents to face.” Joker declared convincingly, smirking at his team as they faced off against the weaker Shadows from Kaneshiro’s Palace. Ren and Makoto smiled as they managed to recreate some of the stunts against the weaker Shadows they had difficulty pulling off back in June, like more efficient uses of his grappling hook, of using Johanna as a boost for Makoto’s punches to deal more damage and a cool mixture of their magical attacks. The other thieves smiled when they noticed the strategies the two used against their enemies, cheering them on and teasing them at any stunt that made them get closer to one another.

\------

Shinjuku - Tsukasa’s club

“Boss? Boosss?” The strong bodyguard asked worriedly, waving his hand in front of Tsukasa’s face. He didn’t reply at all… almost as if he was in a trance. “This ain’t normal…”

The bodyguard’s brother shook his head. “Of course not! But after you screamed, slapped his face and even put an incense in front of him and he didn’t reply… he isn’t gonna reply.” The man noted, demanding a photo from Ren and Makoto. In a few seconds, he received the picture. He smirked. “You know, these two are quite cute together. They can be a great couple as long as they pay Boss up.” He noted, showing the pictures of the teasing and friendly couple teasing each other to his brother.

“Yeah… but can’t they just tell the police what happened, if the thieves do change his heart?” The older guard realized, making the youngest’s eyes widen.

“...shit, you’re right.” He noticed, standing up. “And if Boss’ caught… we’ll be caught too.” He said quietly, looking at the praying man, who didn’t budge one centimeter. He looked at him for a moment before shaking his head. “We better not get involved in this. Let’s leave for today and see what happens.”

The other guard’s eyes widened. “And you just wanna leave Boss?”

The other guard looked at him and nodded. “We got a lot of good payment from him, but… threatenin’ those two kids like that is way too much of a low blow… even for me.” He told his brother, picking up his stuff. “I’ll leave the phone to him so he can check the photos when he wakes up, but… this is goodbye. He’s getting too arrogant in a matter he could’ve just left alone.” The man noted, leaving the club with his things and his papers. The older brother looked at his boss, bowed to him, and did the same as his younger brother, leaving behind a vegetative Tsukasa.

\------

Mementos- Path of Akzeriyyuth - Path 10

_ “Come on, don’t you want this money?!”  _ The Shadow asked another, who shook its head and left quickly, ignoring the humanoid will behind.  _ “Piece of shit! Go burn in Hell!” _ It shouted quickly, kicking its foot on the ground.  _ “Gah… can’t anyone help me?!” _ It shouted to the void it came from, only to receive no answer. It sat on the ground and started to sob worriedly and pathetically, wondering how he managed to get himself at this point.  _ “They’ll… they’ll see! I’ll be able to take on the Phantom Thieves myself and not have a change of heart! I’ll beat them on my own if needed!”  _ It shouted, transforming into its fighting form… which was an Anzu.  _ “ _ **_...dammit._ ** _ ” _ It cursed, turning back. It clasped its hands.  _ “Please, God… give me something good! I’ll even give ya part of my soul so I can live this way!” _ It shouted, receiving silence as an answer. Before long, however, it heard chains echoing through the floor… which scared it deeply. When it turned around, it saw a bloodied monster with one eye and two pistols floating behind it, making it scream in fear.  _ “Please… don’t kill me!” _ It pleaded, cowering on the floor, before noticing that the guest didn’t do anything. It turned to the monster and saw it looking in its direction as if awaiting something.  _ “You… you here to help me?” _ It asked worriedly, as the monster nodded. The word “Reaper” came to the will’s mind.  _ “The Reaper… you’re really strong… think you can give me a boost?”  _ The Shadow asked, to which the monster nodded, making a weird roar that echoed across the whole of Mementos. The Shadow waited… until it suddenly felt a gust of strong fire behind it, before a pool of darkness surrounded it, making it scream psychotically as its form changed to the Anzu, and from it, into a dragon-like form. It laughed crazily as it noticed the flux of strength it accumulated before the Reaper itself shot it with a special bullet that calmed it down. The will turned around and saw a silhouette with a black mask disappear into the shadows as it smirked.  _ “Oh… thank you, Reaper and other being! Thank you, God!” _ It shouted happily, smiling at his newfound power.  _ “Could you help me once more, big Reaper? I have some money for you…” _

\------

Mementos - Path of Akzeriyyuth - Path 1

The thieves were a little hurt due to taking all of the fights to train for their target battle, but they were mostly fine. “So... “ Ann suddenly spoke up, surprising the leader and advisor. “You two a thing now?!” She asked with a huge smirk, as the rest of the team focused on them. The two stammered before nodding in unison, attempting to hide their blushes. The blonde model squealed at them with a big smile, hugging the two. “Finally! I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long!” She shouted at the two, who looked at her with a confused look.

“H-how long have you been waiting for this, P-Panther…?” Queen asked sheepishly, looking at her handsome boyfriend with a smile and then back at her friend.

“Ever since Oracle’s Palace. I knew back then you started to fall for one another!” She commented with a smirk, making the two blush. “Especially at Boss’ house. I mean, come on. Holding his shoulder, confiding in him with your fear and protecting each other all the time during the fight with Cognitive Wakaba?” She asked them, making them stop to think.

“Did we really mostly focus on each other during that fight?” Joker asked curiously, trying to remember. Skull nodded.

“Hell yeah, man. When she was about to slam us and Oracle protected us, you kept puttin’ your arm in front of Queen. Back then, I thought ‘but she can protect herself’. That is… until Panther told me why that was.” He smirked at the two, messing with Ren’s hair as he smiled.

“Huh… now that you mention it… you’re right.” Ren noticed, looking at Makoto. “I didn’t want you to be crushed by that Sphynx, so I kept rushing to protect you… even though Oracle had our back.” He noticed, smiling at her as she sheepishly smiled back. Oracle did her gremlin laugh.

“I only noticed after we headed here to Mementos, but I remember that Queen here kept healing Joker first and checking if he was fine before us.” She said confidently, smirking at the two. “I felt kinda neglected at first, but then I noticed it was love and that you two still checked for our safety, so it was no biggie.” She continued with a nonchalant tone, clasping her hands on her lap.

“And I remember when we were at the beach and I hoped Queen would be your Johanna, right Joker?” Fox spoke up, surprising the team, except for the frizzy-haired boy, who nodded.

“Oh, yeah… we also did discuss that. I was so embarrassed back then…” He said sheepishly, scratching his neck as he quickly paid attention to the road, noticing the stairs. “Come on, let’s go down a floor before we continue.” He said quietly, motioning the teasing team to follow them. Morgana smirked while he walked.

“You guys have no idea what Ren writes in his diary about Makoto. I’ve seen some cheesy comments about his dreams and hopes if he did start to date her! Like taking her to see more Yakuza movies while they ate some of her favorite” The not(?) cat said teasingly, making the leader stop and turn to him. The rest of the team smiled at him, while Makoto blushed at the idea.

“How could you betray me this way, Mona?! I trusted you to keep the contents of my diary a secret!” He said surprisedly, crossing his arms at his feline friend, who shook his head. Before he could give his confident answer, however, Makoto approached her boyfriend and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him look at her.

“T-that idea… sounds wonderful, Joker…” She said with a big smile, blushing at him. “I would love to watch Yakuza movies with you while we ate chocolate and drank coffee…” She said sheepishly, making him smile at him. Haru clapped her hands with a smile.

“Then you two already have a date ready for after you after our mission’s accomplished!” She said ecstatically, pushing Morgana to the tracks. “Come on, let’s get going so you two can have some time for yourselves!” She declared fiercely, scaring the team despite her good intentions.

At that moment, they heard a loud, distorted roar echo through the whole of Mementos, putting them all in a state of shock and alert. They readied their weapons and looked around, seeing nothing. “M-Mona-chan…?” Noir asked as she worriedly grasped her axe, as the feline shook his head.

“T-That… sounded like the Reaper…” He said fearfully, transforming into his car form while Oracle jumped onto Necronomicon, checking the area.

“It isn’t here… but the Reaper is in this general path…” She informed the team, quickly coming down from her Persona. “I’ve already scanned the area, so let’s head down to the target’s level, shall we?” She asked fearfully, as the team nodded. Ren and Makoto quickly stepped into the driver and passenger’s seat while the rest sat behind, as they started to speed up to the stairs. When they finally saw it, they smiled in relief…

Right before the Reaper suddenly emerged from the floor behind them, casting a strong Gun spell, knocking the whole group down. Joker quickly regained his footing and helped Queen up, switching to Shiki-Ouji as he started to help his other teammates up while she healed them. “Mona, Oracle, quick, support positions!” He shouted, ordering them to head farther away, The two did as they were told, while Fox and Panther headed, in the same way, to protect them at Queen’s orders. “The rest, let’s find a way to circle around it so we can head down! Let’s go!” He ordered the team, as they readied themselves, with Oracle giving them a speed buff to dodge the monster’s psychic attack.

\------

Central Street - Untouchable

They all stayed in relative silence as Mishima kept checking his friend’s phones and sending pictures every 2 minutes due to Tsukasa’s demands. He sighed, finding the hosts demands tiring beyond relief. He also felt that everyone didn’t know how to strike up a conversation, considering they had never met before. He looked at his companions. The store owner, Iwai, was cleaning some replicas; the woman in drag, he guessed, Lala, was looking curiously around and the student council president’s friend, Eiko, was slowly rocking back and forth in her chair, clearly worried beyond relief. Since Mishima felt intimidated by the other two people, he turned to her. “It’s gonna be okay. The Thieves are gonna change that guy’s heart! They never failed before and they won’t fail again!” He spoke with a big smile, which made her look at him with worried eyes.

“Y-yeah…” She replied weakly, unsure of how to continue. Mishima was surprised; normally these remarks helped motivate him, so why did it not work with her? He tried to say something more, but no words came to mind. He looked to the side and saw Lala looking at them both with a sympathetic smile. He motioned for her to come over, so she nodded and sat down beside them, smiling warmly at the young girl, who looked at her curiously.

“How long have you known Ren-chan and Makoto, Eiko?” She asked warmly.

“For about… 3 months? A little less, I guess?” She replied uncertainly, shaking her head. The woman nodded.

“In that span of time that you’ve known them, have they ever let you down?” She asked with a knowing tone, to which the girl shook her head.

“I mean… they let me down when they started to talk shit-no, warn me about Tsukasa… but in the end, they were right… and I was just being stupid.” She covered her face with her hands, questioning her decisions. At that moment, Iwai approached them.

“Hey.” He called the girl, making her look at him. “We all made mistakes because of how we felt. I bet those two did, too. But right now, the best thing you can do is have faith in ‘em, since they’re willing to help out. Dunno why, but consider yourself lucky for that.” His simple remark left them all to ponder for a moment before he returned to his counter and started to pick up some calls. After a few minutes of silence, Eiko let out a worried sigh.

“I hope they’re okay… and that the thieves manage to help us…” She wished with all of her heart, closing her eyes. Mishima nodded.

“You can be sure that they’ll succeed! You’ll see!” The blue-tinted hair boy reassured her with a smile, confident in the team’s ability. "It'll be a cakewalk!"

\------

Path of Akzeriyyuth - Path 2

“SCATTER!” Joker shouted at the top of his lungs, rushing to push Mona out of harm's way, as Queen did the same for Fox, as they all jumped to the sides to dodge a gigantic energy blast the Reaper unleashed on them. Unfortunately for them, the attack had a bigger blast radius than they expected, severely damaging everyone on the team. Joker quickly stood up from the attack and analyzed their condition, seeing that everyone was looking pretty bad. He never expected the Reaper to follow them through the mist until they were out of Vanish Balls. “Healing formation! Now!” He ordered as everyone joined each other, Skull, Fox, and Joker serving as a shield while Queen, Mona, and Panther healed the whole team. Noir grabbed her grenade launcher and fired one at the monster, who did receive some damage from it, but not enough to even make it flinch.  _ ‘Shit! How the hell do we escape this thing?!’ _

“How strong is this Shadow?!” She exclaimed worriedly, as they saw it shoot at the air, summoning icy trees to freeze them over, knocking down Panther and throwing Joker farther away, who was using Arsène to reflect the monster’s physical and magical attacks. Queen rushed to his side while Skull and Noir rushed to protect Panther. Mona tried to blow the Reaper away with his strongest gust of wind, but it did budge from its spot.

“This is bad! We aren’t strong enough to even pass it!” He explained quickly, noticing it was preparing another energy burst to fire at them, still levitating in front of the stairs to the next floor. Joker still hadn’t managed to get up, as he was blasted the farthest away, meaning he and Queen were outside of the blast radius, but everyone in the team was in danger. “I won’t let you!” Oracle shouted from within Necronomicon, as she activated her Position Hack, changing cognition in the thieves’ favor. Queen helped Joker up as best as she could, but he had taken quite the damage during their attempt to outsmart their opponent. She summoned Johanna and placed him behind her, wrapping his hands around her waist and lightly stroking his hair.

“I will protect you, no matter what it takes.” She whispered in his ear, making the badly hurt boy start to open his eyes. She turned to the team as fast as she could, pointing to the stairs. “Mona! Transform and head down! We’ll meet at the next floor after I’ve healed Joker!” She shouted at them, speeding off into the stairs.

“Hey, wait up!” Morgana shouted, transforming into the van as the rest of the team entered him quickly, attempting to turn his engine on so they could catch up. Makoto focused on the road ahead, didn’t notice that the Reaper had regained its footing and quickly fired a Psiodyne at her, making her scream in pain, knocking her and Ren off of Johanna into a violent crash, hurting the two to a sliver of their health. She heard through muffled ears the team shouting their names and speeding their way, before the floor started to suck her and Ren deeper into Mementos, dropping them violently into another area. She felt her right arm dislocate when she fell, and the pain coursed through her body like an electric current She could barely see a few meters in front of her due to the darkness.... she slowly turned to the side and saw Ren sprawled on the floor, his face bleeding due to the impact.

“Ren!” She shouted, standing up as fast as she could, sitting by his side and checking his face. He coughed violently, struggling to stay awake. “Hey, hey, stay with me!” She said desperately, checking her pocket for items… and noticing she only had a few HP, SP, and attacking items. Nothing to help them escape battles… she quickly checked on his pockets and saw that he had the same things, down to the same quantity. She knew they had brought a lot of items with them… she shrugged it off, taking some Phantom Wafers and giving them to him, seeing his eyes slowly regain some of their glow. She smiled softly at him, but he cupped her face quickly, almost as if he was afraid he was seeing an illusion.

“You okay?!” He asked quickly, to which she nodded.

“I am, luckily. My arm’s hurt pretty badly, though…” She admitted, showing it to him.

“Let me take a look.” He motioned for her to let him hold it, to which she obliged, knowing what he would have to do. So, she took a deep breath as he looked at her with an awaiting look. She nodded and with a loud  _ crack _ , he put her arm back in place. She held back her scream, not wanting to call the attention of any Shadows that may be roaming around. She looked at him when the pain subsided and saw him checking his pockets for items and noticing the same thing she did. “Did… did that thing take away our items?!” He asked with wide eyes, to which she nodded.

“Apparently so… and I don’t know how many floors we fell… hold still.” She spoke gently, cupping his face and summoning Johanna, holding the cut closed as she healed it. He sighed, as his mind started to run.

“Thank you so much… now, what should be our plan from here on?” He asked gently, looking at her with calm eyes. “Maybe we could try and go down to the next safe floor and wait for the team?” He asked calmly, to which she nodded, slightly shivering. “You afraid?” She nodded once more, to which he smiled, not even making a joke, summoning Hell Biker, whose wheels revealed more of the area around them. Her fear slightly dissipating, she smiled at him.

“You’re so kind… thank you.” He smiled at her remark, scratching the back of his head. She summoned Johanna and motioned him to sit behind her. He froze for a moment before sitting and staying there. They stood in silence for a few awkward moments, unsure of what to do, until Hell Biker coughed, snapping them out of it. ”R-Re-Joker… you have to wrap your arms around my w-waist…” He let out a small ‘ah’, and slowly and awkwardly did as he was told. They stood for one more moment before Makoto herself shook her head, starting up the engine and slowly making her way through the floor, Hell Biker going a bit ahead to make sure no Shadows attacked them. After a few seconds, a question popped into her mind, and she turned to her boyfriend.

“Say, Joker?” She asked aloud, prompting him to look at her. “I wanted to ask you… why did you help me and Eiko so much? I-I know I called you over, but you always accepted with no hesitation despite your busy life. Why?” Her eyes showed her genuine curiosity and worry at him, making him smile sadly.

“Well… because I like helping people.” He said simply, locking his eyes with her own. “I wanna change society, but to be able to change events on such a large scale, we need to start with the individuals. So… I took it upon myself to help as many people as I could, even if it hurt me.” He explained with a distant look as if remembering something in his past. She looked at the road and then back at him.

“But… you do so much every day. You check if your friends are fine, you work at part-time jobs, you prepare our trips to the Metaverse… it’s a lot of tasks for only one person to do.” He nodded at her with a smirk.

“Oh, yeah. It’s… pretty tiring.” He admitted with a sigh, looking up. “But I feel like it’s my responsibility to care for you all. I don’t have much hope in being able to clear my name legally, so… I’ll just do my best to help in other ways, even if the world tells me I’m wrong.” He said with a happy smile, locking eyes with her again. “But considering I somehow managed to confess to you and that you, a beautifully determined and precious person, accepted my confession and chose to date me… it probably means I’m doing something right.” He kissed her cheek, making her blush.

"Y-you did more than enough to deserve our affection, Joker..." She was about to open her mouth to continue, only for Hell Biker to block their path, as the Reaper appeared in front of them once more and shot a light spell in their direction, severely hurting Ren as he shouted in pain, switching to another Persona while Makoto was forced to turn around. He quickly took his Ring of Vanity and cast the spell on her, protecting her from the Psiodyne attack the Shadow threw at them. “What the hell?! Leave us alone, you big Scarecrow lookalike!” He shouted at it, changing to Arséne so he could cast Tetrakarn or Makarakarn to protect Makoto. She sped away from the monster, hoping to keep her boyfriend alive.

“Can we pass under it?” She asked quickly, to which Ren shook his head.

“Doesn’t seem like it! Why do you ask?!” She shook her head and pointed to a wall with it, prompting him to look at where she pointed, seeing a black and red vortex at the wall.

“Because it seems to be guiding us to Tsukasa!” She shouted at him, skidding Johanna to a stop as the darkness surrounded them once more, as the Reaper stopped in front of the one path they had to leave. Ren held her hand worriedly.

“We can’t go in there alone. It would be suicide.” He warned her, to which she nodded.

“I agree… but we can’t fight it.” She said seriously, turning to it, seeing it disappeared. “What?” She wondered worriedly, motioning her boyfriend to summon Hell Biker once more. The light showed them it had disappeared… but this fact didn’t give them peace of mind. Before they could even comment on the situation, they saw the ceiling open up a few meters ahead, as the rest of the team fell violently into the floor, shouting in pain as the Reaper slowly descended from the hole, pointing its gun at them and the couple. They glared at it before they heard a clap coming from the vortex.

_ “Bravo, bravo! This is perfect!” _ They heard the voice of Tsukasa coming from behind them, as the Shadow left the vortex with a shit-eating grin. They looked at him with a piercing glare, but also with a look of shock.

“Tsukasa! How did you manage to get the Reaper on your side?!” Queen demanded angrily, as the Shadow passed them with a smirk, teasing them to hit him while the giant Shadow kept its aim steady. The will of Tsukasa approached the Reaper and gave it a ton of money. The giant enemy absorbed it almost like a type of energy, nodding at the Shadow.

_ “Money is a part of our life. It literally has our life in it.”  _ He explained to the two, pointing at his impromptu companion.  _ “You see, you keep fighting with your friends and hopin’ you can change society… but if I pay the correct people, I can make their lives just disappear in one moment.”  _ It said sinisterly, threatening to give the Reaper a bit more money as its finger nearly pushed the trigger.

“Okay, okay, STOP!” Ren shouted, forcing the Shadow to stop. “You didn’t get us back here… but you got us. What do you want?!” He asked worriedly, putting an arm in front of Makoto. The Shadow gave the money to the Reaper and put its hand up, forcing it to wait.

_ “I wanna kill you two myself. That’s all.” _ He told the teenagers, walking to the vortex.  _ “Come in just you two while the rest stay at gunpoint. I’m gonna show you the power of money.” _ It said confidently, ordering the Reaper to attack as it entered the portal. The monster cast a Concentrate, making Ren and Makoto turn to their team with worried eyes, rushing to get to them… before a giant Megidolaon hit them with its full force, its strength blowing the other thieves away. When the dust settled, they looked worriedly at their leaders, seeing them sprawled on the floor.

“NO!” Skull shouted, standing up quickly and attempting to sprint to help them, only for the monstrous Shadow to grab the two nearly unconscious teens from the head and throw them into the vortex, standing guard in front of it. “PIECE OF SHIT! YOU’RE GONNA DIE FOR THAT!” The blonde runner shouted once more, summoning Seiten Taisen and attempting to attack it, only for it to repel his attack. The rest of the team looked at the situation worriedly.

“What the hell…” Panther said as her shoulders shook. “This was supposed to be a happy day for the two… and now they have a high chance of dying?!” She shouted angrily, hitting her fist on the ground. Morgana shook his head.

“No. We’re gonna get in there somehow and help them.” He spoke confidently, calling Ryuji over, who came back with fury in his eyes. “Anyone have any plans on how to get there?”


	3. The will of rebellion within lovers bows to no one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the dangerous encounter with the Reaper, Ren and Makoto were separated from the group to face Tsukasa on their own. Their future and Eiko's were at stake... so they had no choice but to fight to live another day.

Mementos - Unknown area

The two stumbled into the room that lead to the infinite red vortex, struggling to breathe as they collapsed onto the floor, turning their bellies up so they could properly breathe. They stood that way for many moments, simply looking up at the dirty ceiling of the people’s cognition, stranded and alone, reflecting on the decisions they took that got them here. Ren looked to his side and saw Shadow Tsukasa standing there, staring out into nothingness, and he knew that the moment they stood up, they’d have no choice but to face him. He then looked at his girlfriend, watching her breathe heavily, holding her right arm and trying to contain a pained expression. He slowly extended his left arm to her, gently holding her right hand and squeezing it as she let out a sharp exhale before starting to attempt to breathe normally. She turned her head to look into his deep gray eyes, who showed her his fear and, in the moment they connected their sights, peace as he warmly smiled at her.

“Y-you… okay?” He asked with a raspy voice, though it had some bravado in it. She giggled at him, though weakly.

“I… could be better.” She said as she attempted to move her arm, only for the pain to force her to stop. “But… you being here helps me so much...”

He looked down at the ground, trying to move his leg, which didn’t budge. “Even though I’m just… sprawled on the floor, with no way to help for the moment?” He asked honestly, which made her look at him with a warm, melancholic smile.

“Do you feel better with me here?” She asked him weakly as he nodded and then chuckled. “...see? I’ve learned with Ann that, sometimes… just being there is enough.” He lifted his mask with his right hand, gently doing the same for her, as both looked into each other’s eyes. “Ren....” She whispered as she moved her right arm, despite her body screaming at her, to cup his face. “...thank you so much for existing and being a part of my life…” She said simply, closing her eyes as she planted a kiss on his cheek, simply savoring the moment. When she opened them, she saw something she had never seen from him before: tears of happiness, along with a blush.

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, unsure of what words to say as his emotions started to spiral warmly inside of him. She smiled at him, feeling the same intimate rush as he cupped her face, attempting to construct a coherent sentence. “...no one’s ever told me that before... “ He admitted to her gently, the tears going down his cheeks and into the floor. “...you’re the best thing that has happened in my life. I love everyone on the team for who they are and for what we do… but you’re the only one who manages to keep me grounded and in check. You’re the one who slows the world down when it spins too fast for me to keep up. You’re the one who inspires me to follow my dreams simply because of how you follow yours.” He spoke softly to her, finding so much to say, despite the situation. “You’re the one… who taught me the beauty of being yourself, Makoto.” Ren told Makoto gently, as he neared her face and gave her a kiss on the cheek, smiling into it as she felt his tears on her face, feeling her own also trail along her cheeks as she smiled. When he pulled back, they stared into each other’s eyes, feeling the same connection they felt back in Hawaii, only stronger than ever.

“And you’re the one who taught me how to live, Ren. I can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done for me in such a short time...” She admitted with a smile, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. He looked into her eyes and smiled once again.

“Can I… kiss you...?”

He asked softly, his eyes quickly darting to her lips and then back to her eyes, afraid of missing such a chance... Her mouth and eyes opened in surprise, not expecting him to ask that question for her… but she smiled bashfully right after.

“P-please…”

She asked sweetly, nearing him with half-closed eyelids, as he did the same… their faces inching closer and closer. They felt each other’s breath on their skin and the heat they emanated. They stopped for a single moment, taking one last look at one another, before…

Their lips touched for the very first time.

It was slow… tasteful… magical… delicious and… right. They felt a small shockwave of feelings coursing through their body as they kept the kiss going for many seconds, not moving, as if afraid to break their newfound connection. They wanted to keep it going, but their lungs screamed at them to let some air in, so they regretfully parted their connection and gasped for air, still extremely near each other. Ren turned his face around to hide his own blush, who rivalled hers in redness. After a few seconds of getting their wind back, they looked at one another and smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to say. So, instead of saying anything, they brought their lips together once more.

They both reveled in the feeling of each other. Never before had they felt such a strong connection with a human being. The love they felt for each other was also being transferred through that kiss, warming their bodies in a way they never thought possible. After many, many blissful seconds of connecting with one another, they split apart, lightly gasping for air, as their dumb smiles stayed on their faces as they looked into each other’s eyes. As soon as they managed to breathe stably, they connected their lips another time, unable to be without it at that moment.

Gasping for air once more, they smiled at one another and rested their foreheads together, enjoying each other’s presence, knowing they’d have to stop soon. He took off his right glove and showed her his hand, as she did the same. They then intertwined their fingers, looking at their connected hands.

“*giggle* I-I never expected you to be s-so bold, dear Joker.” She said embarrassedly, but with pride, feeling the warmth their hands emanated.

“*giggle* I-I could say the same to you, my Queen.” He teased her gently, running his free hand through her short hair as she leaned into it, closing her eyes. “I’ve… wanted to hold you, worship you like this for so long…” Ren whispered gently, kissing her hair.

“As did I…” Makoto whispered back to him, stroking his hair with her free hand. “...I don’t even know exactly when I started to fall for you… you’ve taken so many great, heroic and kind actions before and after we met… I think I fell for you more every time.” She told him warmly, as he lightly smirked.

“I’m just that good, huh?” His smirk increased, making her lightly punch his good arm.

“Except for the cockiness. That’s something you should dial back a bit.” She joked back at him, as both laughed softly, lovingly staring at each other once more.

“I wanna keep looking at you forever and ever.” He cupped her face. “I wanna keep kissing you and I don’t want to stop. I wanna… take you out for lunch, dinner or just to have fun, with no traces of this life for those small moments… I wanna watch that movie with you...” He admitted as his cheeks burned with crimson, as did hers. “But… this isn’t the place for us to fool around like this. He won’t let us... ”

“So, let’s finish our mission so we can do what we want to...” She declared warmly and embarrassedly, to which he nodded. “Just… let me steal one last kiss…” Right as she finished her sentence, she connected their lips once more, this time, in a slower, calmer fashion. They helped each other up to a sitting position after it, not letting each other’s hands go. At that moment, regardless of the danger, they’ve already faced and the challenge coming ahead… all they felt was each other.

“God, you’re addicting, you know that?” She smirked at his comment.

“It only means I’m well worth the price of admission.” She declared convincingly, which made him smirk back like a dumbass.

“Oh? And what would be that price?” He asked cockily, as she entangled their fingers and squeezed his hand gently.

“Having you in my life.” Her tone was barely above a whisper, as she kissed his hand like a prince does to a princess, a gesture the boy did not expect from her, but one he greatly enjoyed.

“That’s a price I’m willing to pay forever.” He declared as he did the same to her, before they regretfully let each other go, severing the warmth and safety they felt within each other to return to the coldness and danger of being in Mementos.

Nevertheless, they smiled at each other, while checking for injuries. They hurt much less after their little heart-to-heart, but their bodies weren’t magically healed. So, with no words spoken, they used magic to heal each other, sharing some kisses whenever they could. After making sure they were in their best condition and preparing extensively, they looked at the Shadow standing at the end of the hall, its back turned to them, as they turned to it.

“It’s time to take this guy down. Eiko won’t be truly safe unless we do this.” Joker commented aloud, to which his second-in-command nodded.

“He’s just another worthless criminal who thinks he’s a hotshot. He may have surprised us with the Reaper, but if he’s doing so… he’s not that strong. It’s time we serve him some justice.” Queen declared fiercely as she cracked her knuckles, making Joker smirk.

“Since we’re in agreement… it’s time for the curtains to rise. The other players will find a way to reach us.” Fixing his gloves, both walked up to the Shadow of Eiko’s manipulator, feeling nothing more than determination to stop him to save an innocent life. It turned around and creepily smiled at them.

_ ““Heh, look at the cute couple comin’ here to change my heart! But, oh no, you’re nearly dead! I wonder who did this?”  _ He taunted the two with maniacal laughter, making them glare at him. _ “I wanted to just kill you right as you came in, but that’d be no fun. To be honest, I thought you were gonna just lie down and keep kissing until your friends arrived… IF they manage to pass the Reaper.”” _ He taunted them, putting his hands in his pockets.

“That was the plan, but today we’re just dancing in whatever club you throw at us. Besides, judging who you are and the whale-sized trap you’ve lied down for us, you don’t seem like such a big deal, you used the Reaper instead of coming at us yourself. You weren’t even smart enough to actually check up on us in the real world, just doing whatever.” Joker replied with his signature smirk, also putting his hands in his pockets. The Shadow growled, changing his stance.

_ ““You’re here to change my heart. Already seen this shit happen to so many others, but damn! I guess I should be feeling kinda honored that not only are the Phantom Thieves coming after me but you two specifically, Ren Amamiya and Makoto Niijima... color me impressed! It must've been fate that got you two here!”” _ He replied cockily, surprising the two.

“How did you know our full names?” Queen demanded, making him smirk. They made sure never to tell him their full names due to his shadiness...

_ “”It ain’t hard to get info on the student council president of Shujin and the criminal transfer student. You ain’t famous, but you ain’t unknown either… especially on crime boy here. Like me!”” _ Makoto shook her head, placing her arm in front of her boyfriend.

“Ren is NOT a criminal.” She stood firm, making him smile at her, only for the Shadow to laugh.

_ ““Oh, really? That isn’t what his record says,  _ princess _. Or did you not read it?”” _ His taunt nearly made her lose control, but she recognized that fact, taking a deep breath.  _ ‘Ren needs me right now… and I’m not going to let him down.’ _

“I have. Aggravated assault, obstruction of justice, possession of illegal drugs, and vandalism.” She said with a tinge of regret, as she noticed Ren shifting uncomfortably beside her, which made the Shadow smirk. She turned back to it and glared. “And I know that all of that was made up. He pushed a man that was forcing himself onto a woman away, he hit his head and commanded the police to give him a record. None of it is true, and the police fabricated the evidence against him. They destroyed his life due to an inconvenience… similarly to what you’re trying to pull off.” She replied firmly, smiling at her boyfriend, who smiled warmly back at her. “We will  _ not _ let you ruin our lives simply because of a broken sake bottle. Regardless of what you say or what parallels you make, Ren’s a good person, and he is not at all similar to you.”

_ ““That might be true, but that won’t change the fact that your record exists, mate. Unless you prove your innocence, that paper will haunt the rest of your life, regardless of all the good you do.”” _ The Shadow taunted in a sing-song tone, making Joker shake his head in defeat.

“...you’re right. There is no counter-argument I can make to that.” He looked down at the ground. “No matter what I do, or who I talk to, if they know about my record, I’m less than human to them… it’s how people are in this society.” Makoto looked at him with crossed arms, clearly uncomfortable with his statement. That is until a small smile appeared on his face. “That’s what I would say… if I hadn’t met living proof that that’s not the case. A ton of people who can see me for who I am instead of what’s written on that paper, giving me a fair chance despite my past, all because I’m here for them now.” He said confidently, pointing his gloved hand at the club host. “I am blessed to have a group of friends… and lover-” He threw a small wink at the said lover, who blushed. “-that make me the best person I can be. You, on the other hand, are just a despicable human being who steps over the innocent and defenseless for your own selfish gains. You are evil and petty, and for that reason and that reason only, I, Joker, and my partner, Queen, members of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts,  _ will change your heart! _ ” He declared triumphantly, grabbing his knife and pointing it at his enemy as Queen prepared her knuckles, the Shadow roaring and mutating into a silver voracious dragon, a mythological creature the two had never seen before. It was covered head to toe with black and grey steel armor, bone-like wings, and elbow protectors, a black heart painted on a button of sorts and it was about 2 meters tall. It was a much more imposing figure than what the two had expected from Tsukasa. “And you don’t disappoint! I thought you were gonna be a Black Ooze or another lame Shadow like that!” Joker taunted, which made the dragon roar and attempt to swipe the two off of their feet with its tail, only for them to jump out of the way.

Queen summoned Johanna and cast Flash Bomb, attempting to throw Tsukasa off-course, only for her attack to be reflected back at her and Joker. While it didn’t stun her, it did stun him, so she hurried to try and give him a Phantom Wafer, but Tsukasa hit the ground with his tail with enough force to create a strong earthquake, knocking her down and dealing critical damage to her friend. After that, the Shadow quickly attempted to cast another attack, so she grabbed her gun and shot him, only for her shot to also be reflected back at her, piercing her left shoulder. She screamed in pain, holding it as the enemy changed the scenario around them to space, shooting a violent beam of pure energy through them. She jumped on top of her lover to shield him from the damage, taking the brunt of it and nearly collapsing. She stood up and looked at the host, grabbing a phantom wafer and giving it to Joker, who managed to stand up. He quickly summoned Arsene and cast Makarakarn on her, bracing himself as the Shadow lowered their defenses with Debilitate.

“Any way we can win this?” Joker asked worriedly, summoning Kikuri-Hime and casting Mediarama. Queen analyzed the Shadow as she stood up, shaking her head.

“Unless we actually manage to hit him with what we have, I won’t be able to know.” He nodded, switching to Arsene and readying his knife, propping her up.

“On my mark, we split up and try all we have.” She nodded, waiting for Tsukasa’s move.

_ “” _ **_What’s wrong? Already licking your wounds?_ ** _ ”” _ He taunted them, running up to their direction with an open claw as Makoto managed to jump to the side and dodge his grab. Ren attempted to escape his clutches, but his lowered mobility didn’t do him any favors, so he was grabbed by Tsukasa’s long claws that cut his back. Moving as quickly as she could, Makoto summoned Johanna and, with the speed accumulated of sprinting from the other side of the room, she threw a Kundaclear-R on both of them and a Cyclone Magatama into it, tearing its claw with the burst of air and letting Joker go with a loud scream of pain, whom she managed to catch with Johanna. She drove as fast as possible to the other side of the room while he used a Takamedic-All V. Without even stopping, however, Shadow Tsukasa kept creating small earthquakes to knock them over, nearly succeeding as both Queen and Johanna felt the spikes piercing their feet/wheels. Ren was starting to lose his patience, only then noticing one detail.

“Hey, see those things?” She looked at the creepy red veins coming out of… jail cells, he wondered, and nodded. “Let’s use them.” He commented, before his eyes widened, noticing their surroundings turned to space once more, grabbing his grappling hook, wrapping his arm around her and pulling them both up, nearly dodging the pure energy that would have disintegrated them for sure. Luckily, Tsukasa didn’t notice them hanging due to his attack, so he started looking around worriedly, waving his tail side to side violently.

Down on the ground, Tsukasa paced back and forth, looking around.  _ “” _ **_You two can’t touch me! I have a full network I can call upon to destroy your lives with a snap of my fingers!_ ** _ ”” _ He snapped his fingers, but nothing happened, much to the surprise of the two thieves.  _ “” _ **_Sure, money’s a little short right now, but hey, once I finish you two off, nothing else will stand in my way! Ya hear me?!_ ** _ ”” _

_ ““ _ **_Are you sure about that?_ ** _ ”” _ He heard a deep voice coming from behind him, frantically turning around and preparing an attack, only to find a wall of smoke.

In Ren and Makoto’s minds, their proximity gave them a bit of peace, but also flustered them. The red-eyed shook her head and noticed that their opponent’s shadow walked around like a caged animal after Arsène’s taunt.

_ ‘Why would he be so worried? He’s invulnerable to my attacks… but what if...’ _ “Joker, smokescreen.” He nodded and threw two on his front as she threw two to her back, covering the entire area in thick smoke. They heard him roar and saw a small area’s fog start to dissipate due to him waving his tail back and forth desperately. Makoto furrowed her eyebrows.

“ _ No… that’s not possible, is it? _ ” Her whisper caught the boy’s attention, looking at her curiously.

“ _ What do you need me to do, Queen? _ ” She held onto him tightly, shaking her head.

“ _ I do have a plan, but I don’t want to put you in more danger… you’ve barely fully healed. _ ” She caressed his right arm, making him hiss slightly. “ _ I’m sorry, but see? _ ”

He looked down, the smoke starting to dissipate. He gave her a confident smile. “ _ I’ve been on the brink of death before. This is nothing new. What do I do? _ ’ She sighed worriedly, telling him her plan.

_ “” _ **_Where the fuck are you?!_ ** _ ”” _ The host’s Shadow roared, swinging his tail around. He heard a small  _ cling _ behind him, so he turned around and attacked, creating a massive earthquake in that direction that managed to dissipate the fog around him. When it did, however, he saw that the only thing he had destroyed was a pair of Tekko, confusing him. Right at that moment, however, Tsukasa turned around and saw Joker running up to him, Arsène behind him.  _ “” _ **_Fightin’ fire with fire won’t save you!_ ** _ ”” _ He shouted as he started to focus, a ball of pure energy materializing around Ren, as he crossed his arms to shield himself. Right as the ball of energy was about to hit him, he smirked.

“Makarakarn!” He shouted as Arsène hit the projectile back with his wing, making Tsukasa laugh. However, right as he was about to absorb the attack, he felt weakened. His eyes widened, as his ears picked up on a bike’s engine and the nuclear energy that he normally absorbed started to burn his metal protection, from the front and the back. He screamed as his attack and Makoto’s burned him severely, making him fall on his knees. He looked up and saw her holding her boyfriend’s knife, as she twirled it and stabbed him in the eye, his scream even louder than the last one.

_ ““ _ **_How?!_ ** _ ”” _ They both smirked at him, pointing their guns.

“You’ve never heard of nullifying resistances before?” Queen asked condescendingly, to which the dragon gasped. “Face it, Tsukasa. You’re done.” She smirked at him, making him shake his head.

_ “” _ **_No… no, no! YOU’RE DONE!!!_ ** _ ”” _ He shouted, hitting both of his fists on the ground, creating a small shockwave that made both of the thieves lose their balance. He quickly stood up, grabbed the two, and slammed them against each other like ragdolls, draining much of their health and nearly knocking them out instantly. He then threw them at the ground and stomped on Ren’s right arm and Makoto’s left leg, as a loud  **_crack_ ** echoed across the room, along with two screams. He started laughing maniacally, enjoying the suffering he caused on the two.  _ “” _ **_Look how much that little relationship of yours helped you! Both pathetic, weeping on the ground._ ** _ ”” _ He taunted, smiling at the sight of tears in both of their eyes. Ren looked at him with a glare.  _ “” _ **_Let me tell you something, country boy._ ** _ ””  _ The Shadow kneeled beside him and started whispering.  _ “” _ **_Here in the big city, you don’t just walk up to the red-light district and expect to walk out in one piece after interfering with the adults’ business. You either die or become a slave._ ** _ ”” _ He threatened the boy, who attempted to summon a Persona, only to have his hair grabbed and his head slammed against the floor, blood dripping from his forehead,

“ **REN!!!** ” His girlfriend’s shout was horrifying to hear. He never heard her in such distress before, and it sent a chill down his spine… through a hazy vision, he saw the Shadow grab him and lift him up.

_ “” _ **_Truth be told, I never liked your face. You’ve got a baloney criminal record that you could use to make people fear you, but you just keep actin’ like a scared kitten that thinks love will save ya. Well, guess what? That record caught my attention, so I kept watchin’ you two. And because you were foolish enough to try and go up against me and my money-makin’ business… I’m gonna kill her slowly and you’ll watch._ ** _ ””  _ He threw the boy back on the ground, who coughed up blood and turned to the side, seeing the dragon slowly walk up to his girlfriend and grab her by her throat, slowly lifting her up as she gasped for air. He managed to rip off his mask, calling Arsène and making him fly over to try and save Queen from the Shadow’s grasp, only for him to be grabbed by the enemy’s other hand and slapped away with his tail.

At that moment, however, a lightning bolt hit the Shadow in the head, making it scream in pain, dropping Makoto. The two looked to the side and saw Ryuji sprinting their way, carrying Morgana. Ann ran beside them as well, ripping off her mask “Give him hell, Hecate!” She summoned her strongest pillar of fire… only for Tsukasa to absorb it and regenerate his wounds. “...crap!” She froze for a moment as Morgana healed Ren and Makoto, who now stood side by side in a corner of the room, before dodging the mini earthquakes the Shadow threw at her. Futaba quickly entered the room in Necronomicon and cast a Sukukaja on the team.

“Ryuji, switch with her!” Ren ordered quickly through a raspy scream, as his best friend nodded and jumped on top of Seiten Taisen’s cloud, snatching Ann out of the way of another earthquake and brought her over to the rest of the team, as he turned around and blasted the Shadow with a lightning bolt, making it scream in agony. “How…?” Joker asked worriedly, to which Ann nodded.

“Fox and Noir managed to use Morgana to crash into the Reaper, giving us enough time to get in.” She explained quickly, the two leaders feeling relief as their wounds were healed as the realization that this was probably Haru’s idea dawned on them.

Morgana finished healing them and helped them up. “They’ll be here soon, but we have to defeat this guy fast, or else we’ll have to deal with him and the Reaper.” He said seriously, preparing his Sword and summoning Zorro, pushing Ryuji away from a violent tail slap he’d take in the face. Joker and Queen looked at each other, and as their eyes locked, they knew exactly what to do.

“Let’s wait for the two to get here.” Queen said seriously as she summoned Johanna, giving Ren a hand so he could sit behind her. Mona and Panther looked at the with wide eyes, unsure of what to reply. “It’s risky… but we’re gonna use Joker’s Down Shot and a new move we planned to beat at least Tsukasa. You’ll see. Make sure you’re either moving fast or above the ground!” She shouted, speeding off to one of the train tracks, dodging another earthquake and casting a Nuke Break to nullify the Shadow’s strength. Joker smirked.

“Listen to your mother!” He joked, making Ann giggle and Makoto blush, while Ryuji stood in Seiten’s Cloud, looking for an opportunity to blast the target with a lightning bolt after his attack was reflected. Joker analyzed the field and became serious once more. “He’s strong, but he only does two things with no real thought. One unforseen attack will bring him down.” He commented to her, seeing Ann grab Morgana and summon Hecate, using her ‘dog maces’ to grab onto the iron bars and lift herself up to dodge the nuclear attack at just the right time, with Morgana protecting her with a powerful gust of wind around them like a shield. Makoto counterattacked with her own nuclear attack from the raised rails, making the Shadow turn to them. Right as it did, they heard the chains of the Reaper and saw the two remaining Thieves enter the room.

“Watch out! He’s sending a Megidolaon against us!” Fox warned quickly, as he and Noir braced themselves for impact, standing right where the two leaders hoped they would. Shadow Tsukasa scoffed angrily when it saw the last two members of the team enter the arena.

_ “” _ **_Piece of shit can’t even do its job well! You know what?!_ ** _ ”” _ It angrily shouted as it summoned a nuclear spell and sent it at the vortex.  _ “” _ **_Take this as payment! I’ll deal with them myself!_ ** ”” It roared, hearing his spell hit the target. It laughed, but the Thieves knew what this meant. So, Ren quickly summoned Arsène, who grabbed Fox and Noir and flew out of the way right as a shot of almighty magic attempted to hit them from the vortex, only for it to hit Tsukasa square in the face, stopping him in his tracks. The burst of almighty damage nearly sent everyone flying, but Queen sped off to the next corner she could to protect her and Joker, Skull escaped to the same corner with Panther and Mona on Seiten’s cloud and Oracle used Necronomicon’s arms to take Fox and Noir from Arsène, flying up as high as she could. When the dust started to settle, Joker and Queen nodded at one another, as she sped to the center of the blast, throwing Joker off of Johanna into the air.

_ “” _ **_You pieces of shit! I won’t lose! I WON’T-_ ** _ ”” _ He shouted once more, unsure of how his wish could turn against him before he felt 4 bullets pierce his knees and 4 more pierce his arms, knocking him down on the ground.  _ ‘’ _ **_WHAT?!_ ** _ ”” _ When the dust settled, he saw Joker and Queen, along with all of the other thieves, pointing their guns at him. He gasped for air and started to feel desperate, knowing that if he received one more strong attack, he’d be done for.  _ “” _ **_I won’t… I won’t…! Not like Boss…!_ ** _ ”” _ He promised, right before he heard a chuckle coming from the leader of the Thieves.

“We won’t make the same mistake we did last time. Everyone! Attack!” He ordered everyone, as they all jumped back and away. To Tsukasa, the world turned red, as all he could see were the silhouettes of his attackers slashing at him from every angle possible, draining his stamina as he screamed in pain. When they finished their assault on him, he could barely contain his form and was starting to lose consciousness, but he insisted on trying to stand up.

_ “” _ **_I won’t… I won’t…!_ ** _ ”” _ He vowed once more, only to hear Makoto sigh.

“Just give up already.” She suggested, to which he shook his head.

_ “” _ **_I could make… a criminal empire… I won’t lose… to two brats like you!_ ** _ ”” _ He attempted to slap them with his tail, only for Arsène to grab it and Johanna to run it over, stopping him in his place.

“Quite the stubborn fellow we have here. Let’s teach him a lesson he won’t forget, shall we, my Queen?” Joker spoke up with grace, offering her his hand as he held the Wishing Star, as she smirked back at him and nodded.

“Let’s go, dear Joker. It’s Showtime!” She declared definitely, hyping the other thieves up. Oracle quickly cast Matarukaja on the two as both jumped away and the scenario around them changed.

Shadow Tsukasa found himself tied by a rope and being dragged by two strong men in suits to a dark place. They removed the cloth from his head to reveal Makoto sitting behind a table on a wooden throne with gold details of her Persona, of her family name and the logo of the Phantom Thieves. Beside her stood Joker, his elbow on the throne casually, both of them glaring at him. He looked around desperately and saw he was in a small room in a Yakuza Mansion, full of Katanas, decorations on the walls, a poster with X over faces of their targets and beautiful pottery, everything beautifully organized to the utmost perfection. However… Tsukasa had heard tales of these rooms, and his desperation increased as one of the men in suits grabbed his neck and forced him to look at the two leaders, and he noticed the men had masks instead of faces. “What is the punishment for this thief, Queen?” Joker asked cockily, as she stood up, cracked her knuckles and her neck.

“His punishment is execution by our hand.” She declared fiercely, as their men nodded and pinned him down, forcing him to stare at the floor. He heard the footsteps of the two until he saw their feet in front of him, managing to take one last look at the barrel of their guns pointed at his face, while Queen stared him down with a bloodthirsty look and Joker stared at him with a psychotic smirk. “You won’t be missed.” She declared finally, as both her and her lover pulled the trigger, forcing the Shadow to dissipate into a blob on the ground.

The world around them returned to being the dark and dreary Mementos, with a blob of darkness on the ground starting to form into the true form of Tsukasa, who wept openly. The team surrounded Joker and Queen with big smiles.

“So THAT’S why you two stayed behind a bit longer at the station!” Ryuji exclaimed loudly, leaning on Ren with a big smirk. “You sly cat!” The boy chuckled, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly.

“That was so AWESOME!” Ann added, hugging Makoto, who blushed at the affection. Morgana noticed the two were pretty tired, so he motioned Haru to grab something for them to eat.

“It was truly grotesque, yet synergized… quite beautiful!” Yusuke analyzed in awe, closing his eyes and burning the memory into his mind.

“You created this right before we came here?” Haru asked sweetly, giving Ren and Makoto some chocolate, as they ate it and nodded happily, smiling at one another.

“After we started to hang out, we found out we both really admire the idea of Yakuza, so we bonded a lot over it. Queen thought it would be a nice idea for us to create a Showtime based on that admiration.” He said smoothly, offering his girlfriend a fist bump, which she took. Morgana nodded with his arms crossed.

“Good thinking. Using the Reaper’s attack to defeat him was risky, but it paid off in the end. And your Showtime is of excellent taste!” He approved with a smile, before looking at their target, as the rest of the team did the same. Ren and Makoto tried to walk over to him, but their legs gave out. Luckily, Haru and Ryuji were there to hold them. With a wordless nod of affirmation, they all moved closer to the weeping Shadow. They looked down at it, as it turned to face them.

_ “I… destroyed so many girls’ lives… and of their families... “ _ Joker nodded.

“You did, you son of a bitch. And you tried to ruin mine and Makoto’s lives, too.” He threatened the Shadow, who let out a yelp.

_ “I… I know… and… *sob* I’M SORRY! I WAS JUST SO INSPIRED BY BOSS’ EMPIRE I WANTED TO MAKE MY OWNNNNN.” _ It cried once more, making most of the thieves to stare at him in disgust. All except Makoto, who looked at him curiously.

“You’ve mentioned that Boss before. Tell us who it is.” The Shadow looked down at the floor at the request.

_ “B-Boss is… was Kaneshiro.” _ The revelation widened the eyes of the Thieves, who looked at Tsukasa with much more interest now.  _ “He… was a big inspiration in the underworld… and I was lucky enough to pick up on some of his tricks through his apprentices. Problem is, I never paid them back, so they cut contact with me… and I thought I could keep goin’ alone…” _ This comment made Futaba laugh.

“Oh my god, you wanted to have a criminal empire  _ with no people?!  _ A one-man empire, coming right up! Go on then, Superman, see how well that goes!” She continued laughing, as the thieves joined in. The Shadow could do nothing but weep. Ren sighed.

“Listen up.” He demanded, making it look at him. “You’re gonna turn yourself in to the police. After that, you’ll give them all of your contacts so they can finish cleaning up criminal activity in Shinjuku. Any and all info they deem worthy to know, you tell them, alright?!” The Shadow nodded quickly, trying to cower behind something, only to find out it had nothing to hide behind. Makoto approached it with Haru’s help and grabbed it by the collar, slightly lifting it up.

“I only have three demands for you: One, you’ll delete the conversation we had earlier today from your phone. Two, you’ll never, EVER talk to Eiko or any other young girl in your life. Three, you’ll turn yourself to Sae Niijima’s team tomorrow morning. Until then, you’ll act completely naturally. Understood?!” She roared, as he nodded meekly. She also nodded and dropped him.

_ “Guess that’s really it then… you guys really are different…” _ He spoke right before disappearing and leaving a treasure behind. With Ryuji’s help, Ren grabbed the glowing object to reveal… a skill card.

“Gigantomachia…” He said in awe, noticing it was the strong attack Tsukasa kept using against them. “This could be quite useful.” He then turned to the team and smiled. “Thank you, everyone. If not for you all… Makoto and I would have certainly died today.” They all smiled worriedly at them, surrounding the two quickly.

“And right as you two started datin’ we get this difficult target…” Ryuji said regrettably, though the couple smiled, both blushing.

“To be honest… for our first official date to be changing the heart of a criminal that threatened our friend… I think that’s quite a great date.” Joker said cockily, nudging Makoto with his elbow, as she stammered and looked away embarrassedly, making everyone in the team smile. They heard the chains of the Reaper outside, as they all sighed.

“I do wonder why Tsukasa was such a glass cannon, though…” Queen thought aloud, clutching her arm. “Tsukasa was too pathetic to have such a strong will, and he clearly didn't know how to attack us properly, so… how?” She wondered aloud, only for Morgana to shake his head worriedly.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen something like that happen to it…” He said seriously, before fumbling with his fanny pack and taking out a Goho-M. “And I don’t want to stay behind to find out. Let’s get out of here before anyone else gets hurt.” Everyone nodded as he threw the small object in the ground, transporting them safely back to the entrance.

\---

Central Street - Untouchable

“-and the boy’s been helpin’ out with some business.” Iwai said casually, to which Lala nodded.

“Same here, sweetheart. And I gotta say, your collection is impressive! I’m not a fan of guns, but I can admire them.” She said excitedly, looking around. Mishima shuddered.

“I’m not on the same boat. I’ll just watch them from a distance.” He said regretfully, looking at the phones of his two friends and noticing that he hadn’t received a new message from Tsukasa for about 5 minutes now. He looked to the side and noticed Makoto’s friend looking at her own phone with wide eyes, right as Ren and Makoto’s phones rang. When he was about to open his mouth to ask why she looked so surprised, they heard the door open, and in came the whole group, the council president and transfer student in the front. “Already? It’s only been 10 minutes!” Mishima and Eiko stood up and walked over to the group. Ren chuckled.

“Let’s just say the Phantom Thieves act fast.” He said cheekily, confusing Lala and Iwai, while Mishima smiled back. “Did our strategy work?” The Phan-site admin nodded.

“Yep! He didn’t suspect a thing. I nearly screwed up with one of the photos, but I was able to delete it before it was sent.” He said with a shudder. At that moment, Eiko approached the two meekly, making them look at her.

“U-um…” She showed them her messaging app, where Tsukasa had sent her an apology and that he was going to turn himself in the next day. The teenagers all smiled at the news, while the normal Shujin girl fidgeted. “I… I don’t know how you did this… but… thank you so much…” She said meekly, smiling awkwardly at Makoto, who smiled back. The Priestess offered her hand to the girl, who took it and shook it, before pulling her friend to a hug. The action made Makoto whimper slightly due to her injured arm, but she held the pain back and hugged her friend back, noticing she was sobbing tears of happiness. After a few seconds, they let each other go. Eiko then turned to Ren and bowed at him. “And… thank you, too. You were beside her all the time, helpin’ her and me… you really are a great boyfriend.” She said warmly, to which he gently wrapped his arm around Makoto, making her blush.

“Hell yeah, I am.” He said confidently, making everyone laugh, except for his beautiful girlfriend, who whimpered and hid her blush behind her hands.

After talking for a few minutes, thanking everyone for their help and saying goodbye on the train station, the only ones left were the Thieves in Station Square. “So, what are you guys planning to do?” Ren asked happily to them, as they all smiled back.

“Well, I know you’re having some difficulty walking, so I’m gonna help you head back home.” Futaba said confidently, only for Yusuke to shake his head.

“You don’t have the necessary strength. Let me help.” He said neutrally, making the girl fume with anger. Before anyone could comment anything else, Makoto’s stomach rumbled loudly, catching their attention. She blushed and looked away.

“I guess… today’s events made me quite hungry.” She admitted meekly, as Ren just smiled dumbly at her, admiring her cuteness before nodding.

“Well, you wanna go grab a bite at Ore no Beko? They have some great beef bowls.” He offered sweetly, making her nod. Ryuji looked at the with wide eyes.

“Oh, man, I love their beef bowls! Can I come, too?” He asked excitedly, only for Ann to slap his arm.

“Come on, Ryuji. Let’s let them have this moment for themselves. This includes everyone else!” She demanded to them, as everyone let out a disappointed ‘aw…”. Makoto sighed before smiling, turning to them all.

“All right, what do you guys think of this: we all go to Ore no Beko, but you all sit at one table while Ren and I sit at another?” She proposed in a motherly tone, as they all nodded.

“Whatever you say, mom!” Futaba joked, heading first so she wouldn’t see the advisor’s reaction to her comment, followed by Yusuke, wanting to make sure she didn’t wreak havoc on the way, and by the three first members besides Joker, leaving the couple behind on a relatively chill Central Station.

The Trickster looked to the side to notice Makoto was sighing while blushing, a sight he couldn’t get enough of. She looked at him and inspected his face. “W-what?” She asked curiously, as he shook his head.

“Nothing. Just admiring true beauty.” He flirted, flustering her once more. Through her whimpers, she gently grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers, an act that made her smile once more. “Come on, dear Queen. Our children are waiting.” He said cockily, as she groaned, both heading to the restaurant for their first real date as a couple... and to make sure their group didn't make too much noise on the restaurant.

\---

Yongen-Jaya - Café Leblanc

“We’re home!” Futaba said cheerfully to her dad, who smiled at her voice and turned around to greet her, only to notice that Ren held his right leg while he walked and had an arm around his daughter and Yusuke to support himself. He quickly stood beside him.

“What the hell happened to you?!” His worry was evident, guiding the three to the booths.

“It’s… a long story.” The boy said meekly, laughing embarrassedly.

“Then shorten it.” The café owner demanded, sitting beside the boy, who sighed as Futaba guided Yusuke to a farther booth and started to serve him a plate of curry.

“Well… you know Makoto Niijima, right? The girl who joined our group a while ago?” He asked the man, who nodded sternly. “Well, I’ve been helping her to… expand her horizons. She’s very sheltered and wanted to learn more about what other people my age do.” He spoke, noticing the piercing glaze his guardian gave him. “So, I offered to help her. After hanging out a few times, however, she noticed that one of the girls of our school headed to the red-light district quite a lot. Her being the student council president, she called me and we questioned the girl, who just worked there normally.”

“And what does this have to do with your being… banged up this way?” Sojiro asked angrily.

“I was getting there! After we started talking with her, she started dating a host. We didn’t really like the way he behaved around her… it felt kinda forced and too perfect. So, we decided to investigate, and we found out that the guy took girls around my age, indebted them and sold them.” When he spoke this, he saw a flame light up in his Guardian’s eyes, only similar to the hatred he had for Futaba’s uncle.

“I’m sorry, he what?!” Ren nodded.

“That was when we decided to intervene.” He held his leg and asked the dyed-redhead for a glass of water.

“And how did  _ this _ happen?” Sojiro asked worriedly, making Ren smile.

“After we gathered proof and convinced Eiko of his true nature, he hired a bodyguard to try and teach us a lesson. Makoto and I tried to run away, but we were forced to fight him at one point.”

“You two fought a guard hired by a criminal?!” The middle-aged man shouted as he stood up. Ren looked down at the ground.

“Yeah… luckily, a policeman saw what was going on and stepped in to save us. The guy’s in jail now.” He spoke reassuringly, but his guardian ran his hand through his hair.

“But… what about that host? What if he decides to head after you?” He asked, nearly ripping off his hair.

“Well, lucky for them, a ton of people had requested the Phantom Thieves to steal that guy’s heart, and they did!” Futaba spoke up from her corner of the café, catching her father’s attention.

“Indeed. Ren and Makoto spoke with other people who were troubled by that host, and they all made a request. It seems it paid off, as they’re now safe because his heart was stolen.” Yusuke chimed in after taking a break from his plate of curry, speaking gracefully. Sojiro didn’t know how to react to this information, slowly sitting back down at the booth again.

He stayed in silence for a good few moments, before speaking up again. “On the one hand, I should just ground you for pulling such a dangerous stunt.” The three teenagers looked down. “On the other hand… you two did make something good happen today. You were lucky it happened… but it did.” He continued, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I’ll let it go this once. But never,  _ ever _ , do something like this again, understood?” Ren nodded.

“Don’t worry, we won’t.” He lied convincingly, before adding a truth. “Besides, Makoto and I managed to help her friend… we’ve accomplished our mission.” He spoke with a proud smile.

“If that was your goal… then yes.” The middle-aged man agreed, standing up. “I never would’ve guessed Makoto would get you into this situation. She seemed so calm and polite, too…” He grumbled, standing behind the counter and serving the glasses-wearing boy a plate of curry.

“Oh, she is like that normally, but that’s not her only side.” Ren spoke with a small smirk, remembering all of their good moments together, especially their kiss. He texted her asking if she had arrived home safely, and quickly received a yes along with a Buchimaru-kun sticker of the titular panda holding a heart. He blushed at the phone and sent it back, feeling a type of happiness he didn’t know existed while, unbeknownst to him, Yusuke and Futaba joked and commented about his situation with amused expressions and happiness for their leader.

\------

Niijima Apartment

She smiled bashfully at her phone, wondering how such a simple sticker could evoke such a strong feeling within her. She reached the door to her apartment and slowly opened it, looking side to side to see if Sae was there. The lights were on and the smell of dinner filled her nostrils… she sighed and entered the apartment, wondering what would be her sister’s reaction to her being home so late. She heard a small “oh” coming from the left, so she turned to find the prosecutor eating dinner by herself. “Welcome home, Makoto.” She said neutrally. Makoto looked at her nervously.

“O-oh, hello.” She replied in the calmest tone she could muster, hoping her sister wouldn’t press her too much on where she was… her right arm still hurt.

“What brings you back so late?” The eldest Niijima asked calmly, watching her sister with interest.

“M-me? Um… well, you see...” The headband girl started nervously, messing with a braid of her hair, before taking a deep breath and clasping her hands together contemplatively. “Let’s just say… I’ve done something I should have done much sooner.” She said contently, smiling at her sister and herself. “What about you, Sis? Anything new at work?”

The silver-haired woman sighed. “Yes. A host from Shinjuku has been targeted by the Phantom Thieves and it was all the talk at work today. It makes me sick.” She explained with disgust, focusing on her meal again. The youngest sister sat in front of the eldest, looking at her with worried eyes.

“Why is that exactly, Sis? I don’t mean to sound rude, but this is a good thing, right? Another criminal could be off the streets.” She asked, hoping for the best.

“Because people already adore the Phantom Thieves, and my job will become obsolete soon enough if this keeps up. I already told you this.” She replied angrily, standing up and leaving for her bedroom. Makoto sighed sadly, feeling a deep sadness within her as she grabbed her phone, opened the Metaverse App and confirmed her suspicion once more. She looked at the direction of her sister’s room with a determined look.  _ ‘Sis… I am going to help you overcome this…’ _ She thought gloomily before her phone vibrated once again. It was a video of a baby panda rolling around in a zoo. The video warmed her heart, and the sender was none other than her new boyfriend… she hadn’t even stopped to fully process the fact that she was dating someone now, and the fact that he was one of the most important people in her life brought a smile to her face, and she never wanted it to go away.

**Ren:** I thought a video of a baby panda would be the perfect way to close off today in the best way possible. Have a good night, my Queen <3

**Makoto:** It was perfect. Thank you so much, d-dear Joker. Have a good night as well <3

\------

September 27th - Café Leblanc

Boss happily cleaned the dishes and made some coffee for himself, feeling in a good mood. Ren and Makoto had gone upstairs to study for Midterms, Futaba was quite jolly for some reason and he managed to get a few clients today. He felt in such a good mood, indeed, that he decided to make some coffee for not only himself but also for Futaba, Ren and Makoto. He put the coffee for his daughter in her special mug and put the coffee for the two in beautifully simple mugs, leaving them at the counter. He opened the door to head outside and shouted from it.

“Hey, kid! I made you and Makoto some coffee. Drink it before it gets cold!” He warned them with a smile, hearing a muffled ‘okay!’ from upstairs. “I’ll be spending some time with Futaba, so make sure to call me when you’re done.” He continued happily, closing the door behind him and leaving. From the stairs came the two lovers, their hair completely disheveled while their faces showed strong blushes. They got down and sat at the stools, looking at one another embarrassedly and clacking their cups together, taking a sip of Sojiro’s heavenly coffee. Ren smiled at the coffee and at his girlfriend, putting the cup down and kissing her cheek, making her smile.

_ “-In other news, Tsukasa Yamashita, a small host from Shinjuku, turned himself into the authorities earlier today.” _ The news broadcast caught their attention, as they turned to it.  _ “The host, who ran a business ring that exploited young women, seemingly had a change of heart due to the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, giving an end to his operations.” _ The broadcast continued, but Ren turned to Makoto with a big smile.

“Another mission success! This calls for a celebration!” He told her enthusiastically as she smiled.

“But wasn’t our… s-study s-session already a celebration?” She asked sheepishly, hearing Anat tease her from within her mind. He nodded with a smirk.

“Well, yeah, that was…” He said with a small blush, before grabbing her hand. “But I actually have a small surprise for you.” He said with a smile, taking a DvD case from his bag and handing it to her. Her eyes widened when she noticed it was a rare copy of “Like a Dragon”, which had the director’s signature on the box art. She squealed at the gift and hugged him, kissing his cheek.

“Ren… this is amazing! H-how did you-”

“I had Iwai scour it from one of his contacts as an exchange for promising to take care of his son one of these days.” He explained contently, before taking another small package and giving it to her. She saw it was her favorite brand of chocolates, and her smile grew. “I was thinking… maybe we could watch the movie tonight…?” He offered in a low tone that sent a tingle down her spine. She nodded vehemently, taking her phone and texting her sister while Ren went upstairs to set up the movie, bringing their coffee along.

**Makoto:** Sis, I’m gonna be a little late today… an important appointment came up that I need to take care of. Could you maybe eat outside tonight? Sorry.

**Sae:** It’s okay, Makoto. I was already going to warn you about this, but I’m also having an important appointment today. I’m gonna question a host that turned himself in to see if he has any information against the Thieves I can use.

Makoto’s eyes widened at her sister’s reply, prompting her to send a warm goodbye and good luck that received no reply. She sighed, wondering how her sister got to the point she was at now… right before a beautiful voice cut her thoughts.

“Mako! Everything’s set up!” The Fool’s voice rang from the attic, making her stand up.

“I’m coming!” She said happily, heading up the stairs and seeing her beautiful boyfriend waiting for her with a blanket for them to share while they watched the movie. She smiled as she snuggled close to him, sheepishly wrapping an arm around him as he did the same, as the movie started.

They enjoyed the movie and each other’s company for the remainder of the afternoon and beginning of the night, as Makoto stayed for dinner with Sojiro and Futaba, enjoying the company of her closest friends and lover. She felt the warmth and love of how good life could be when surrounded by those how truly love and care for you, and she hoped these good feelings would last.


	4. Epilogue

October 23rd - Niijima Apartment

She waited patiently for her boyfriend as she listened to Bon Jovi, trying to get her mind straight. So much happened in the last month… they apparently changed Okumura’s heart only for him to suffer a mental shutdown… their group was now shunned by the people who once loved them… her sister had started to make some serious moves to try and find them… she felt incredibly blessed by the fact that she had such good friends and a boyfriend that helped her calm down despite the dire situation they faced. Eiko not only supported her fully, but also the Phantom Thieves due to their help, which alleviated her a bit. She sighed and noticed that the sun was starting to set on the horizon. She awaited her beloved, thankful for all of the warmth and love he gave her, despite the fact that he also felt incredibly anxious and tense due to Okumura's passing...

_ Ding dong _ the bell went, signifying his arrival. She smiled and headed to the door, opening it and seeing her handsome boyfriend looking worriedly at the wall, tense and wary. She knew why… and she partially felt guilty for what she wanted to show him today. When he noticed the door was open, he smiled warmly at her. “I must be a pirate today because I just found the two most beautiful rubies I’ve ever seen.” He teased, looking her in the eyes, as she blushed.

“T-thank you, s-s-sweetheart…” ...even though it had nearly been a month, she still felt a bit awkward around him. She wouldn’t stop blushing when thinking about staying with him in private… but she was so happy she did feel that way that it didn’t really matter. “P-please, come in.” She said aloud, motioning him to enter. He obliged, taking off his shoes and entering the comfy apartment, looking around curiously as his girlfriend closed the door. “Thank you for coming. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about…” She started, motioning him to sit on the sofa. When he did, she sat beside him, looking down at the ground, wondering how she would tell him her predicament.

“I’m all ears.” He replied gently as if noticing her struggle. She smiled at him, relaxing and nodding.

“Okay… so, as much as I wanted to call you over for us to… study…” She blushed at that remark, making him smile at her. “...what I want to talk about is much more serious.” She continued in a low tone, as his eyes glued to her.

“Alright. How serious is it?” He replied seriously, in a tone in-between Ren and Joker. She wondered how he could support her so much despite his own situation.

“I would say… quite serious.” She said sadly, looking at the ground once more. He held her hand gently, circling his finger on her palm, silently reassuring her that everything would be fine. She smiled and kissed his cheek, slowly standing up. “We’ll need to head there before it gets dark.” He followed suit, as the two exited the building and started walking, never once letting each other’s hands go.

Ren could feel and see the tension in Makoto’s eyes, which is why he didn’t joke and kept rubbing her palm, wondering what could make her feel this way. He had seen her in serious situations before, and while she normally stayed quieter than usual… this time was different. Almost as if this was deeply personal... After a few minutes of walking together, they stopped near the courthouse. “This is it?” He asked quietly, to which she nodded. When she didn’t say much more, he looked at the station and saw nothing out of the ordinary, which is when it clicked for him. “...it’s not the place that’s the issue, is it?” He asked worriedly, to which she nodded.

“No… it’s a target whose point of distortion is the station.” She said quietly, looking at the place with hardened eyes. Her boyfriend looked at her worriedly.

“I don’t want to sound rude, Mako, but why now? We have the Culture Festival with Akechi in two days. I thought you’d be wanting to get ready for it.” He asked gently, as she looked at him.

“I don’t think I’ll be fully prepared regardless of what I do… and I’ve been having a bad hunch recently.” She declared softly, taking out her phone.

_ ‘Sae Niijima… Courthouse… Promotion… Casino.’  _ The app spoke up, surprising Ren as he looked at his girlfriend, who closed her eyes as they were transported into the Metaverse.

\---

He looked around them and almost all of the street seemed the same… except for the gigantic, shiny Casino in place of the courthouse. His eyes still widened, he walked closer to take a look, never letting go of his girlfriend’s hand, who barely looked at the place. They neared it and saw its extravagance: neon lights, red carpets, bodyguards, guests in fancy clothing… all that you would expect from a Vegas-style casino… and it really creeped him out. He looked at the youngest Niijima sister and his mind had an urge to make a joke to lighten the mood… but he thought it best not to. “So… this is your sister’s distortion.” He said calmly, looking at her as she weakly nodded.

“Yes… and it’s been my main objective besides reforming society ever since I joined you guys.” She admitted in a low tone, not being able to make eye contact with Ren. He smiled melancholically at her.

“You tested it out right after you got the Nav, right?” She nodded shamefully as her shoulders tensed up. He gently lifted her chin with his index finger, but she averted her gaze to the side. “You’ve been meaning to save her all this time?”

She nodded. “I knew I couldn’t come here alone, and I didn’t want to worry you all… so I kept this to myself.”

“What made you change your mind?” He asked sweetly, stroking a strand of her hair.

“...having you as my boyfriend.” She replied quietly, finally locking her eyes with his own, as tears started to flow out. “I-I’ve… felt so completed while helping you all… but in the end, I couldn’t truly help you or Sis, no matter what I tried…” She said with shaky breaths, sobbing. “I… I wanted to help clear your name… and I couldn’t do it… I wanted to help change Sis’ heart…”

“-and you will do it.” He cut her off. “We will all make time to come here and help her, even if the public hates us and we should stay low… we  _ will _ make time for this.” He assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“I… I hope so…” She replied weakly, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Still… your criminal record…” She started, to which he shook his head.

“I’m… not sure if we’ll ever be able to revert that. The stars would have to align perfectly for it to work.” He said sadly, looking down for a moment before looking back at her. “But… even if that doesn’t happen… I just want to make you happy in whatever way I can. I may not have a great financial or legal future ahead of me… but I have you and the team. And as long as I can be useful to you all… then I’m okay.” He replied calmly, finally accepting his fate with a single tear streaking down his face. She smiled at him warmly, wondering how on earth she managed to meet someone so good for her and how that someone loved her.

“Ren... “ She said, hugging him tightly as he hugged her back. “...I love you.” She admitted in a whisper in his ear, sending a violent chill of warmth across his body. He tightened his hug on her as if to reassure that he wouldn’t disappear.

“...I love you, too, sweetheart.” He replied back, as they held each other tightly, forgetting for a moment their responsibilities and problems in life and just feeling safe in each other’s arms, knowing that soon enough... they would possibly be facing the darkest chapter in their lives. Luckily... they would have their team and each other. And that... was more than enough to keep them going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for whoever got to the end of the epilogue! So, what did you think of the story? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Did you find it "meh" or great? Please let me know so I can keep improving with each story!
> 
> But mainly, thank you for reading. It means a lot that you took some time off of your days to read this fanfic dedicated to this amazing couple and for giving me and Kenny a chance. I hope your day's blessed and keep being beautiful.
> 
> I'll see you next time with the next fic!


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